The Immortality Crisis
by RyaStar2
Summary: Takes place after Brotherhood when Al is still in Xing, he gets attacked and Ed has to try to find him. Will Ling help him or is he behind Al's disappearance?  please R&R
1. Chapter 1

Alphonse found himself in a dead end. Leaning against the wall, he breathed heavily in an attempt to catch his breath. He wasn't sure how many were chasing him at this point but he knew he had to figure out a way to escape. Mae and him had separated awhile ago and he wasn't sure which way she went. The Imperial city had many side streets and alleys much like Central, however it seemed it was easier to get lost here. Especially at night. He had only been here a couple of months and was already having problems. It made him wonder when it was he got his brother's luck. He normally didn't cause trouble and yet here it had found him. Sweat dripped down his back and he could feel it covering his brow as well. Reaching up, he wiped his forehead on his sleeve. It was difficult to think clearly when he still wasn't sure what was going on. Mae had felt like someone was watching them for the past couple of days and then tonight when they were confronted by several men, he had assumed they were after her. However the leader of the group had clarified that it was Alphonse they had come for.

"You are in fact Alphonse Elric?" The question had puzzled the young man, as he stood between Mae and the group of men. Once Mae realized they were here for Al, she had a knife out, her panda also preparing to attack anyone who came near.

"What do you want with me?" Mae could hear the anger in his normally soft tenor voice. The leader let out a chuckle at the response and his men closed in.

"Then you would be one of Hohenheim's sons, mmm?"

"I'm not going to cooperate with you if you don't tell me what you want."

"Who said we needed your cooperation?"

Just when he thought he'd lost them, something sharp flew past his face. Glancing up, he noticed a small knife embedded in the wall. Turning around, he realized he was cornered by two more men wearing black. These fighters reminded him of Lan Fan and Fu when he and his brother went up against them in Rush Valley. But there was only two of them back then. Feeling his own body's limits, he decided that he had had enough of running through the streets. Clapping loudly, he pressed his hands to the ground, causing it to shift and change. The two men seemed puzzled as the blue electricity bounced around the alley. Alphonse was launched skyward, now able to access the rooftops. The clay shingles were difficult to walk on and he had to be careful otherwise he'd fall.

"Now I just have to find Mae." He wasn't even sure where to start as he stopped to look around. There was a sudden explosion nearby that seemed to shake everything including the building he was standing on. A cloud of smoke rose above the rooftops and he decided to go in that direction. Carefully, he made his way over and finally saw Mae fighting several men.

"[I'm not going to let you hurt Alphonse!]" She brutally pummeled one guy with the side of a building, using her Alkehestry. Al sighed quietly to himself, glad that she was okay. But then she had always been able to take care of herself, he wasn't sure what he was worried about. Just as he was about to get down to help her, a wire wrapped around his neck and pulled him off his feet.

"[You should give up before someone gets hurt.]" Being limited in the native language, Al only understood some of what this particular adversary said but grabbed onto the wire, yanking him towards the edge of the roof. He was then caught by surprise when the man wasn't pulled forward so easily. The solid mass of a man then released his hold, causing Alphonse to loose his balance and fall off the roof.

"Alphonse!" Mae's voice squeaked loudly as she kicked the warrior in front of her. Moving quickly she knew she didn't have enough time to transmute anything so she did her best to try and catch him. Unfortunately he outweighed her quite a bit and he landed hard. As he sat up, rubbing his head he noticed he was on top of her still and got off.

"Mae! Are you alright?" He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned her against his one arm. She squinted up and smiled faintly at him.

"Al..phonse, you're okay." It was clear she was hurt and he had to do something fast. Feeling a large presence behind him, he turned to see someone he actually recognized. This colossal individual wore a simple robe that was a vibrant red with golden trim. Al knew him as one of the royal bodyguards. It brought relief to him knowing that he would not allow these men to hurt Mae or him.

"I'll take her." The soldier reached down for the princess. Mae shook her head and pointed at the men who attacked them.

"[You have to help Alphonse, these men are after him.]" She wasn't about to just leave Al to fend for himself even if she was injured.

"[I can't do that, your highness.]" Mae's dark gaze lifted and the man holding her closed his eyes, shaking his head. "[I was told to come get you. That is all.]" Despite her struggling, he didn't say anything else. Before Alphonse could get back on his feet, he felt a damp cloth press against his mouth. He was only able to fight back for so long before the chloroform took affect. His eyelids felt heavy and his body slumped to the ground. Mae fought with all her might but she didn't have the strength left to help him.

"[Servant, put me down! We can't leave him!]" Shao Mai hurried over to Alphonse and disappeared under his black vest before one of the men hoisted him up. The bodyguard turned away, heading in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

"[I'm sorry Miss but I was ordered to come get you. If you have a problem with this decision you need to speak with the Emperor.]" She finally stopped trying to fight against him but continued to clench her fists.

"[You can count on it,]" she promised.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two-**

The hallways were silent. Normally there were delegates from other countries or law makers waiting to be seen by the emperor but right now it was quiet. But as peaceful as the silence made such a large corridor, it was shattered quickly as a door slammed against one of the solid walls. Luckily the force wasn't enough to break the unblemished marble.

"[Miss, please don't be so rash! Miss!]" Mae stomped down the main hallway, fists tightened at her sides.

"[You can't stop me, Luan!]"

"[But no one can see the Emperor unannounced, not even you.]" Mae's female servant had a hard time keeping up with her.

"[And I said I don't care!]" Reaching the end of the hallway, she looked up at the intimidating doors. There was no way she could open them and her gaze shifted to the silent mass to her left and then to the identical one to her right. The statues where made out of the purest iron in Xing. These matching lions were not simply for decoration though. The polished metal had deep groves carved into them, encircling each one. Mae touched the one and then the other. The symbols etched began to glow bright red and the two giants started to move on their own, pushing the door open. Mae narrowed her eyes and tightened her jaw. The Emperor was in the middle of a conversion with his elders. His expression revealed how bored or displeased he was. The oldest of his advisers was saying something when their meeting was interrupted. "[Ling! We need to talk!]" She had definitely grown over the years, her face thinner now and her hair no longer in childish braids but two simple buns. But despite the fact that she now stood at 5 foot 4 inches and her voice was deeper, more woman-like, she could still get that shrill tone that brought everything to a halt. Ling cringed as though he knew this was coming.

"[Such insolence! My Lord, surely you're not going to tolerate this outburst.]" Ling seemed to hesitate as though he was thinking hard about it.

"[No it's fine. We'll finish this up later.]" His advisers muttered to themselves as they walked past Mae. Her servant bowed before exiting the room as well, leaving the half siblings together.

"[Alright Mae, what's going on?]" Ling was trying to be understanding but he knew he would hear about her interruption later. Lazily he leaned on his hand, hoping that this wouldn't throw off his schedule more then necessary.

"[Who took Alphonse?]" She certainly didn't waste any time. Ling blinked twice before answering.

"[What are you talking about?]"

"[Don't act like you don't know, you were the one to sent my bodyguard after us. You had to know something was going on.]"

"[I sent Han after you because he said he was worried about you. Were you attacked?]" She couldn't tell if he was playing dumb or if he honestly didn't know anything.

"[They weren't after me, they were after Alphonse.]" Her panicked tone was not helping the situation and he really didn't know what she wanted from him.

"[Mae, I really don't have time to go chasing around the city looking for him. Why don't you take Han to search.]"

"[He said you told him not to help Alphonse.]" The Emperor let out a tired sigh.

"[I didn't say anything like that, I told him to go get you. Why does everyone have to take me so literal?]" He rubbed his tired head. This job was so much more demanding then he anticipated.

"[How can you just abandon your friends like that? Both the Elrics helped you a lot when we were in Amestris.]"

"[Mae, it's not like that. If you had more then just a bunch of guys jumped you and took him away, then I could do something. And if I recall correctly I got thrown in jail over there and no one came to help me out.]" Despite his point, she was unwavering.

"[When did I say it was a bunch of guys? It could have been one person that took him.]" Ling let out a faint laugh.

"[Well I don't see one guy capable of outsmarting both of you, let alone Al.]" She was getting tired of this run around with him and turned sharply to leave.

"[So that's it? Where are you going?]"

"[I'm gonna find out who has Alphonse and what they want with him. And if anything happens to him, you're gonna feel really bad about it.]" Ling suddenly felt concerned for her safety and rose to his feet as she reached the door.

"[Wait, Mae! What are you gonna do?]"

"[I have my resources.]" The doors closed behind her and Ling felt a knot forming in his stomach. This could very quickly become a problem with Amestris for him. Luan hurried after Mae as she headed back to her room.

"[Miss what did he say?]" It was clear things hadn't gone well as Mae fumed as she went.

"[He really thinks I can't do this without him, well he's wrong. I know who'll help me.]"

"[Who?]" Mae stopped and turned back to her servant.

"[He's the most terrifying former State Alchemist from Amestris. He was once called the 'hero of the people' and once he finds out what's going on, he won't stand for it. He single handedly saved all the citizens over there. A true force to be reckoned with.]" Mae always did tend to exaggerate.

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**(two weeks later)**

Edward sneeze loudly and rubbed his nose. He hoped he wasn't getting sick. Narrowing his gaze, his eyes shifted from one page in front of him to the next. His tired hand scribbled notes in such a messy handwriting that only he could translate. He had already had a breakthrough that day, trying to crack Alkehestry and needed to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Pushing the one book aside, he glanced over at the letters he'd received from his brother in Xing. Both of them had been studying hard, determined to learn this new science. His expression twisted into a frustrated look as he knew he was missing something. More so then Alphonse, he was hell bent on figuring this out. It had become very obvious in his life that without alchemy he would go crazy. Every time he needed to fix something or had to find a certain object, he could still picture the array in his head and even occasionally caught himself almost clapping his hands together. He just wasn't very good at living like a normal person. So Alkehestry was his last resort. He certainly wasn't about to get some gaudy tattoo, so he would have to figure it out the hard way. But considering how much Al had learned, he knew he could crack it. Standing from the desk, he stretched his back before going over to the array he'd carved into the floor. The owners of this particular hotel would not be pleased with him tearing up their floor but if this worked he could fix it. Probably. He pressed his palms against the floor and closed his eyes. There was the sound of energy bouncing around the room until suddenly all the springs shot out of the bed and Ed ducked, avoiding getting hit.

"Well that's not what I wanted to do." He got back up , yawning loudly. Somehow he had a feeling going to bed tonight was not going to be comfortable. Walking over, he scratched the side of his head,trying to determine how he was going to fix the mess he'd just made. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, he realized how late it was and decided he would have to call it a night. Slouching his shoulders, he sulked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. Half way through, he heard a knock on the door and hoped it wasn't the owner. He really couldn't afford to get kicked out at this hour. Opening the door, he glanced out to see no one standing on the other side of the door. Arching his eyebrow, he glanced around the empty hallway before turning back inside. There was a sudden slam from behind that sent him to the floor. Turning around, he paused when he noticed a women in black enter the room. Judging by her outfit it was clear she was from Xing. Speaking through her mask, she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Prepare yourself Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"Uh?" She moved to attack again and Ed brought his arms out in front. "Hey, wait a second!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Edward moved quickly, rolling out of the way as his attacker's heel came down hard. Grabbing the edge of the rug, he pulled up in hopes of throwing her off. Getting back on her feet, she threw a knife at him and he ducked just in time for it to miss his face. Straightening up, he spit his toothbrush out and wiped his face.

"Fine, you wanna play." He brought his fists up, now ready to fight. Launching into the air, she extended her foot again. Taking a step back, he dodged her and grabbed onto her ankle swinging her around, slamming her into what was left of the bed. She made contact with the metal frame and angrily dug her knife into the mattress. "Aw come on, I still need a place to sleep tonight." She ignored his whining and pounced once more, this time kicking him in the face. Glaring back at her, he picked up one of the bed posts that had come loose. It actually made a good size weapon.

"You think having a weapon will make any difference?" She charged at him once again. It had been a while since he'd fought against someone so determined.

"Sheesh, what did I ever do to you?" He rammed her with the blunt side and brought it around, sending her through the window. Tiredly, he moved to see if she was okay. Seeing that she landed with ease didn't really surprise him much. She was obviously from Xing, if her appearance hadn't given that away, her fighting style did. Turning back, she glared up at him. "Had enough?" Egging her on wasn't such a good idea as she pulled something out and tossed it up through the broken window. He caught sight of what it was as it past him and landed in the room. Jumping quickly, he was mid air when the explosion lit up the room. Ed landed hard on his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. As he coughed, the metal bed post hit him on the head. "Aw, dammit." He turned over and sat up to see his hotel room engulfed in flames. "Lady, what is your problem! Are you trying to kill me?" Standing back up, he couldn't help but wonder if all female warriors from Xing liked blowing things up when they were loosing a fight. She didn't bother answering as she came at him again. Shaking his head, he didn't even bother turning to her as he blocked with his make shift weapon. His amber glare turned to her as her blade scraped across the pole. Pivoting some, he dropped down again and kicked her away from him. This time she wasn't able to right herself in time as she landed on several wooden crates. Edward walked over and brought his metal foot against her neck. "Fights over," he declared. She brought her arm up swiftly and tried to stab his leg only to find that her blade was useless.

"What is this?" Struggling against his foot, he didn't let up even though he wasn't putting any weight on her throat.

"Do you give up?" She wouldn't answer and he just rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, I learned a long time ago not to take death threats too easy, so just give up." There was a sudden blur of movement out of the corner of his eye but Ed ignored it, thinking it was just someone from the hotel.

"Edward, that's enough!" Before he could turn to see who it was, something solid made contact with the side of his face. There was enough force behind the kick to knock him off balance. Mae landed and sucked in a breath.

"Ow!" He gripped his face, turning his glare in her direction. "Mae? What the hell was that for!"

"You don't have to be so rough all the time, yah know," she shouted back at him.

"Rough? Rough!" He pointed at his attacker on the ground. "She's the one who attacked me first and blew my room up! Don't talk to me about being rough!"

"She attacked you because of me." Edward's angry expression dropped into a confused one.

"Huh? Why?" The Xingese warrior got up, still rubbing her throat.

"The young Miss said you were one of the best warriors of your country. I had to see if that was true." Ed placed a hand on his side and narrowed his gaze at her.

"And?"

"You're not bad," she admitted. He looked away, pridefully.

"I don't have to prove anything to you."

"This is getting us nowhere! We need to leave," Mae interrupted the two of them.

"What makes you think I'm going anywhere?" He started to walk away from her, realizing how tired he was and how he had no where to stay now because of the two of them. "Yah know every time I run into someone from Xing, it just complicates my life."

"Please Edward, we've been looking for you for so many days. I need your help." Mae hurried after him.

"I still don't see why I should help after you attacked me." Mae finally stopped and brought her gaze down.

"It's Alphonse." Ed halted abruptly and turned back. Even though her voice came out softly when she muttered Al's name, he had heard her.

"What happened?"

"He was taken away. I don't know where he is."

"What?" He spun his whole body around and walked over quickly. Grabbing her by the shoulders he gave her a light shake to get her to look him in the eye. "When did this happen?"

"In Xing about two weeks ago."

"Two weeks! And you don't know anything about who took him?" Mae sadly shook her head.

"I've tried everything but I just can't find him." Edward twisted his mouth to the side and he sucked in a breath, trying to think clearly. Glancing up, he noticed the owner of the hotel along with several other guests now standing out in the street. As much as he didn't normally bail on this kind of situation, there were more pressing matters at hand. And he couldn't just hand the repair bill off to the military like he used to.

"Alright, lets get going before anyone gets suspicious." He turned and headed down the road. Mae hurried after him.

"Where are you going though?"

"Where do you think, we're going to Xing to find Al."

"But the train station is the other direction, Edward!" He swallowed hard as he kept going in the wrong direction.

"You want to explain to the owner of the hotel why your servant blew up my room, then fine. But as far as I'm concerned we need to detour for now." Deciding she was just happy to have some help, Mae quietly followed him down the street.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"So tell me everything that happened." Ed leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. The midnight train had left the station and they had just made it in time. Edward breathed a little easier once they were on their way, knowing that the chances of the hotel owner coming after him now was slim. "Do you have any idea who would do something like this?" Mae glanced up, trying to think back.

"Well now that you mentioned it, the leader of the group wasn't from Xing at all. He was from Amestris." Ed frowned back, giving her a dubious look.

"Are you sure about that?"

"He wasn't speaking Xingese. Also he asked Al if he was related to Hohenheim." That got Edward's attention and he practically jumped out of his seat.

"What? Why would that matter?" Mae shook her head back.

"Sorry, that was the only thing they seemed interested in. They didn't even want to take me along as a hostage." Ed clenched his teeth as he leaned back again and stared at the window at the dark countryside as it past. The idea that Hohenheim was causing all of this infuriated him more then anything. That bastard father of theirs was more trouble for them then he was worth as far as Ed was concerned.

"And what about your _almighty_ Emperor? Why isn't he helping?"

"I spoke with him and he made it sound like he had better things to do. He also told me there wasn't enough evidence that it even happened. Like I didn't see it with my own eyes." Recalling the situation with Ling made her angry as well. With both of them fuming like this, it was a wonder if they would manage to help Alphonse at all. At least that was the conclusion Luan had come to as she watched them. For some reason she didn't trust Ed. He had made a phone call before they left the train station and she couldn't help but wonder who he needed to call so badly at this late hour.

"Great, so we're really limited once we get there." Edward's voice came out in a flat tone that revealed his annoyance with their predicament even more. The fact that Ling felt this was something that didn't concern him, made Ed want to punch him right in his royal smug face. Mae let out a yawn, covering her mouth politely. Ed's gaze shifted back to her. "You should get some sleep. We'll be in East City by the morning." She nodded back and tried to get comfortable. It didn't take her long to fall asleep and considering how much effort it took to find Ed, she was exhausted. Meanwhile Ed was wide awake, wondering what anyone would want Al for. And if the man behind it was actually from Amestris, how did he manage to convince anyone in Xing to help him? There was a lot about this that didn't make sense to him but the details didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was getting Alphonse back. Deciding he needed a plan, he leaned against the window, chewing on his thumb.

"Don't you need to sleep too?" The question came from across the aisle. Dragging his gaze over, he noticed Luan was clearly watching him in a suspicious manner. He frowned back at her.

"I'm thinking." She narrowed her glare at him as he let out a growl and turned back to the window. He knew Alphonse was capable of taking care of himself but it wasn't like when he was a hollow suit of armor. He could get hurt and he knew for a fact that he wasn't as big as he used to be. And as much as he had learned about Alkehestry in the past couple of days, Ed was still pretty limited too. He was going to need all the help he could get. He had already come to that conclusion before they had even left. And he was really pissed at Ling for not helping. He would help him if the tables were turned. The least the Emperor could do was lend them some of his guards. Edward would just have to convince him. A grin spread across his face, knowing that convincing Ling might involve knocking his Excellency unconscious. Negotiations had never really been Ed's strong suit. Still feeling as though he was being watched, he turned again to see Luan still looking in his direction.

"Would you quit that? You're driving me crazy." But she still kept her eye on him.

uuuuuuuuuuuuu

The sun had just started to rise over the hills when the train's whistle blew, announcing their arrival to East city. Mae stretched across the hard bench and sat up, rubbing her eye. Ed was still awake, leaning on his palm. He seemed to be impatient as he tapped his foot to no particular rhythm.

"Did you sleep at all," Mae inquired as she brought her arms over her head. The train came to a complete stop and he stood up rather quickly.

"It's difficult to sleep when someone is constantly staring at you." He pointed out Mae's servant.

"Luan!" Mae was obviously displease with her.

"It's part of my job. I can't help it." Ed sighed loudly as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Anyway before we leave, I need to get some money and a few things first."

"I would have thought you'd want to leave the country as soon as possible."

"I do but _someone_ blew all my stuff up."

"You threw me out a window." Luan placed a hand on her hip, deciding she wasn't about to take all the blame for everything that was going wrong in his life. He turned angrily at her and pointed his finger in her face.

"You attacked me first!" There was a rising note of annoyance in his voice while Luan remained composed.

"For someone that Mae supposedly thinks so highly of, you sure do whine a lot." He let out a frustrated growl that came out louder then anticipated.

"And for a bodyguard you sure do pick fights for no reason." Mae could see this was just going to escalate if she didn't get involved.

"Alright, that's enough of that. We've got more important things to do." The princess headed for the exit. Luan waited for Ed to follow Mae first but he took a step back instead.

"Ladies first," he insisted with his typical frown. She reluctantly agreed but still kept looking behind her at him. When she finally turned to see where she was going he stuck his tongue out at her. He really wished he was taking this trip alone. After so many months of being by himself, he seemed to prefer it. This body guard and even Mae were going to slow him down. But even though he wished he was alone in this, he knew he was going to need some help. But more then some a bean sprout and a bomb crazed servant. Going into a country he'd never been in, he was not about to get himself into a predicament he couldn't get out of. Not when Al was depending on him. He couldn't afford to be reckless like he usually was. As he stepped off the train, a faint grin spread across his face as he recognized two large men. They caught sight of him and he moved through the crowded platform over to them. "Hey, I wasn't sure you two would show up." The darker of the two shrugged back.

"Well you said you needed our help. We really didn't have any reason not to come," Darius admitted.

"Besides, Alphonse' protected me from Pride once. I sort of own him," Heinkel added. "So where's your little friend?" Edward was about to answer when there was a voice right next to his ear that practically caused him to jump out of his skin.

"Who are they?" Luan glared up at the two Chimeras, suspiciously. Ed pointed back to them with his thumb.

"They're my body guards." A large hand came down on his head and Darius leaned in on one side of him while Heinkel leaned in on the other.

"We're not _your_ anything, kid," Heinkel growled. Ed nodded hesitantly, clenching his teeth. Despite how much he'd grown in the past several years these two freaks could still make him feel like he was tiny. As they let off of him, he readjusted his jacket and fixed his hair.

"Right, you just show up when I tell you to and are willing to go to another country to help me rescue my brother," he turned and narrowed his eyes at them. "Sounds like a body guard to me." Both of them crossed their arms and returned the glare.

"Like I said, I owe Alphonse," Heinkel reiterated.

"Yeah and he's not as cocky as you are." Luan let out a quiet snort.

"Well if they were your body guards you sure are good at making them angry." He glanced back at her with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, well where's Mae?" Luan's eyes widen with fear and she hurried away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's notes-I would really appreciate some reviews on this story, I know that it's kind of starting out slow paced but it'll pick up, I promise.**

**Chapter Five**

"So we really don't have much to go on do we," Darius mentioned as he leaned back in his seat. Edward and the Chimeras were sitting at a small cafe near the train station going over what little details they had.

"Not really but I'm sure with the two of you helping we can figure this out a lot sooner," Ed replied. He had a map out on the table in front of him of the Imperial City. Mae had given it to him before they got on the train. "And once we get to Xing and I can properly smack Ling around, I think we'll really be able to dig up some dirt on what's really going on."

"You really think you're going to walk right in there and punch the Emperor in the face? In his own country with who knows how many guards?" Heinkel always was more level headed. Edward frowned at the question.

"I never said I was going to do it in front of anyone else."

"Not the point," the two Chimeras remarked at the same time.

"Fine fine, I won't touch him, just verbally abuse him some. I mean it wouldn't have hurt him to make some sort of effort to help." Darius sighed heavily.

"Kid, you have no idea what kind of place Xing is. A lot of people go there just to disappear. It's not that uncommon. And there are customs that if you're not careful, they'll throw your ass in jail just for being inconsiderate." Ed gave him a resolved look. There was no talking him out of this.

"That's why we have Mae. She can get us in with no problems," He couldn't help but smile as a thought entered his mind. "By the sounds of things, you two seem kind of scared. Sure you don't want to back out?" Heinkel answered for the two of them.

"It's not that at all. You'd just be wise to be a bit more causious. That's all." By the time he'd gotten through his explanation, Heinkel noticed Ed looking over the map, leaninf his chin on his palm. When he didn't receive a response the Chimera added: "Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah yeah, sure thing, be careful and all that." Edward didn't take his eyes off the map as he spoke which resulted in a growl from across the way.

"You're not even listening, are you?" The blond closed his eyes, sighing back as he rolled up the paper before him.

"I heard you. Anyway, I'm gonna leave this with you two," he tossed the map at Darius as he rose from the table. "I've got to make a phone call before we head across the desert." He grimaced at the throught. He'd never crossed the whole thing however he had travelled to Xerxes that one time and that had been enough for him to vow to never do it again. So much for that. As he walked off, he realized it wasn't the desert that he was dreading. The idea of getting there and not being able to find Alphonse was heavy on his mind. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he glanced around for a phone and finally caught sight of one at the end of the platform near the ticket booth.

Patiently he waited as the other end rang, the entire time worrying about all the uncertainty he had.

"Hello?" That one word caused all his thoughts to cease and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey Winry."

"Edward." The way she excitedly said his name was enough to cause the entire world to vanish. The happiness in her tone was enough to cheer him on even though he hadn't even told her why he was calling yet. "Where are you? It sounds like it's crowded."

"Yeah, I'm in East city. I'm actually on my way to Xing." The other side of the line was silent for a couple of seconds.

"I thought you were staying in the South?"

"Well yah see Mae showed up and apparently Al's in trouble."

"Al's in trouble? Is he going to be okay?" Her tone revealed how concerned she was. Edward couldn't help but laugh to himself. She had never changed over the years. Still worrying for both his and his younger brother's safety.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Something about the conversation made him feel needed and it had been a while since he felt like that.

"Okay but be careful and don't get in trouble." And this part of the conversation made him feel like a little kid.

"Winry, I'm not as hot headed as I use to be. I'm an adult and as such can handle this situation just fine." She laughed at his 'as a matter of fact' tone.

"Yes, I know but please be careful." He rolled his eyes but nodded in response.

"I will, don't worry. I'll try to call you as soon as I can. Right. Uh huh, I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up the phone feeling as though he had just been interregated but he was glad that she didn't ask him twenty questions or harrass him about his automail. Of course he also didn't like being treated like a kid. Why did everyone think he couldn't handle this situation calmly and collectively. As he sulked out of the phone booth with his hands in his pockets, there was a low voice that caused him to practically jump out of his skin.

"So who were you calling this time?" Luan was sitting on top of the booth, playing with one of her knives. He glared up at her, annoyed by her constant presence.

"Why do you care? Find Mae yet?" He couldn't help but grin obnoxiously.

"She was getting her luggage."

"Funny, I would have thought that was your job." There was a deep growl in response and he decided to head back to Darius and Heinkel. On his way back, he had this errie feeling that he was being watched and turned quickly back to see if Luan was still watching him. The Xingese guard had already left, most likely to whereever Mae was. Taking a glance around, he shrugged it off but still picked up his pace back to the cafe where the two chimeras were still sitting. Mae was now sitting with them, enjoying some food the waitress had just recently brought over. Worry started to set in as he wondered what lied ahead of him in Xing. He had tried to be as prepared as possible but he still wasn't even sure why Al was taken in the first place. As he made it over to the table, the waitress stopped him to hand him the bill. After seeing a rather large amount of money at the bottom, his expression revealed how he felt about paying for everyone's food. Mae caught his eye and smiled innocently at him, several empty plates and bowls in front of her.

"She eats more then those two combined," he grumbled to himself as he reached for his wallet to pay the waitress. "Why is it whenever I run into royalty from Xing, I end up paying for their meal?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Hoootttt..." This was not the first time the rest of the group had heard Ed's grumblings about the heat. He never did very well in hot weather but whining about it was not making it any cooler either. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he tried to think about something else. Glancing over at Mae, she seemed perfectly fine in the heat as she nonchalantly twirled her umbrella. She was sitting on the back of her horse while Luan held the reigns and lead the way to Xing. Darius and Heinkel took the rear, both of them unhappy with the idea of riding another animal. Unfortunately though this really was one of the quickest ways into Xing. There was a train but it went around the desert instead of through it. But whether it be by train or horse or even walking, it was still hot. Edward felt as though his automail would be permanently melted into his flesh before they got there. "Ugh...hot..."

"Hey isn't that's Xerses," Darius pointed out to everyone's left. "Or at least what's left of it anyway?"

"Yup, that's it," Mae confirmed back.

"Ed, didn't you visit the ruins once?" The blond glanced over at the once great city and nodded.

"Yeah, but that was before I knew anything about it, really." He let out a tired sigh, wishing they could get to Xing faster.

uuuuuuuuuuuu

This place was dark and damp. It almost felt like it was underground, considering how cold it remained. There was very little light available, making his surroundings difficult to make out. Alphonse felt tired, more so then normal. He had walked carefully around the room, feeling the walls in order to figure out how large an area this was. The place they had left him wasn't very big. It had a toilet in the corner and a mattress on the floor. Anything he could use as a weapon had been taken away from him and for some reason he was unable to produce any alchemy. He wasn't sure how long he'd been here however he knew it felt as though he'd been there several days and he had slept alot more then normal. Although he could'nt prove it, he thought they had done things to him when he was unconsious. The last couple of times he woke up, he was noticeably sore. The first time he suspected something was going on, he had woken to find a large bandage wrapped around him forearm. He couldn't tell if they were just beating him up whenever he slept or if something more sinister was going on.

Most of his days were spent sitting on the soft mattress, practicing alkehestry in his mind. Considering he couldn't use his alchemy, it was probably going to be the only way he was going to get out of here. He could tell when someone was near, sensing each individual's chi that moved past his confinement. He hadn't seen a single person but the other thing he noticed when he would wake up from his oddly frequent naps was a plate of food waiting for him. And he was always hungry for whatever they left him. Sitting here in the quiet, he couldn't help but wonder how long they were going to keep him considering he wasn't even sure what they wanted. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes again, wearily contemplating his predicament. They didn't seem to want information, not that he had any to give. He doubted they were holding him randsom, unless they honestly thought Mae was capable of getting that kind of money. Even if she was related to royalty and he personally knew Ling, he highly doubted they would give into something as frivilous as a hostage situation. Especially for someone from another country.

Furrosing his brow, he noticed several people's chi heading in the direction of the cell. As much as he wanted answers, he was apprehensive about what these people wanted. The way he had been treated so far was enough to make him cautious. There was a high pitched hissing sound and suddenly his eyelids became heavy. Unable to stay awake long enough to see who was coming, he felt himself slide back against the wall.

uuuuuuuuuuuu

"So that's why I keep making such a mess of things?" Ed wanted to smack himself in the head for not realizing the obvious. Mae let out a small giggle in response. "Now it all makes sense. No wonder everything that reacted to the Alkehestry was metal. Never would have thought my automail would cause such a problem."

"It's the same as when I use my knives. You're leg is connected to the metal around you so when you activate a circle, that's what is affected."

"Kind of like a conductor." He scratched his chin, wondering what else he had missed. At least Mae was able to figure out why he kept making such a mess. He had switched back to his regular metal automail before he left for the South. He knew he was going to need something tougher then the Northern automail and Winry seemed to agree with his decision. A slight breeze blew over the sand, sending his bangs into his line of sight. The sun had already set, making it so much cooler now. "Then does that mean I can only use metal?"

"Eventually you should be able to use any material."

"Guess it's better then nothing," he admitted. Luan leaned back to Mae, speaking low.

"Are you sure you should be telling him about Alkehestry. He might use it against you." Ed couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at the sevants suspicions. Mae turned her atttention forward.

"There's no reason to not trust him. I don't know why you think he's evil." Luan glanced over at the blond who was smiling wickedly back at her.

"Because he looks evil. And you didn't always trust him either, you have to admit that at least."

"Well I will admit that he was misleading or at least the rumors were but he's not _that _bad." Edward dropped his head.

"I never misleaded anyone, you're expectations were just unrealistic."

"As I recall the young Miss wanted to marry you before she left for Amestris the first time," Luan brought up.

"How is that my fault! I didn't do anything, it was all her!" He pointed at Mae accussingly.

"And I am sure you aren't just coming along this time in order to steal her affections again?" That question earned her an annoyed glare in return.

"Look, I am just going for Alphonse, that is all," he was trying to remain calm. "As for 'stealing affections', I'm already spoken for and if I tried anything, I would probably be killed for it. Get it?" There was a snicker from behind them, catching his attention.

"Ah, so it's your automail mechanic, huh," Darius mused, elbowing Heinkel. The lion let out a laugh as well.

"Yeah, cause that's really a big surprise. But he is right, Miss. She'd kill him easily if he did anything dishonest." There was a low growl from Edward as he hunched forward and grit his teeth.

"Some help you two are. Thanks a lot." It didn't seem to matter how old he got, he was still going to get picked on. Glancing up, he could barely make out a city on the horizon. Forgetting about the conversation they were having, he nudged Mae and pointed ahead of them. "Hey, is that Xing?" Leaning to the side, the Xingese princess followed his gaze.

"That's the Imperial city. The countrie's capital." Ed smiled quietly to himself.

'Just hang on a little while longer, Al. We're almost there.,' he thought to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Despite the long stairway that was before them, Ed knew the first thing he needed to do was speak with Ling. If he could convince him to help out then this would probably be a lot easier. As much as groveling and begging were not in his character, he knew his ego might actually need to deflate some, otherwise he could kiss any help from Ling goodbye. But deep down he felt that he shouldn't have had to come all the way here in order for Ling to help out. He should have been more then willing anyway. It made the former alchemist wonder if asking now was just a waste of time.

"Wow, this is quite the place," Heinkel stared in shock at the palace. "We don't have anything like this in Amestris."

"Yeah, I noticed," Luan mockingly added.

"Careful lady, just cause the runt isn't gonna try anything, doesn't mean we won't," Darius warned her.

"Runt? Runt!" Ed's temper started to boil. Darius placed a hand on his head and turned him back to the stairway.

"You'll always be our little runt, now aren't there more important things to do?" Deciding to ignore his joking tone, the blond started up the steps. As much as he wanted to bolt up the stairs and punch Ling in the face and then declaring loudly to everyone who could hear him, Whose a runt now!', he knew it would be better to keep his cool. At least for the time being. Getting into trouble and possibly thrown in jail for assaulting the Emperor would not help Al. This fact he had to keep reminding himself of. Quietly they made it outside the main throne room, stopping in front of the double doors. Ed couldn't help but stare in awe at the decor of the palace. Mae pressed her palms against the large doors and the two lion statues came to life, pushing the doors open.

"Whoa..," it was all Ed could manage to utter. As usual, Ling was in another, meeting this time with his council of governors from the different areas around the city. "Hey Ling!" The five men standing around him all turned to the irritating blond in the doorway. "Gotta bone to pick with you!" With that said, he started moving towards the throne where Ling sat.

"Edward, wait you shouldn't.." Mae tried to warn him but it was too late, as two large guards came out of nowhere grabbing the Amestrian who dared entered without permission. Edward's arms were pulled firmly behind his back while his head was forced towards the ground and his hair yanked upwards. A curved blade was placed behind his head and he found himself wide eyed and silent for a change. The one guard who had his arms spoke up first.

"[Sir, how do you wish we deal with this intruder?]" Ed waited with baited breath, hoping Ling had kept his sense of humor. There was a slight groan in response that echoed off the marble walls and floors.

"Ed, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think, Ling?"

"Actually considering you're in my country, you should be a little more respectful when addressing me." There was a slight tone of humor in his voice that Ed found himself smirking at.

"Oh I'm so sorry your high and mightiness. I suppose you want me to kiss your feet too while I'm at it." Ling couldn't help but grin even more at his friend's obvious defiance.

"[You can let him go,]" he told his men.

"[But sir, he dishonors you by wearing his hair long. That is a privilege only for your highness. Please allow us to at least cut it as a sign of respect.]" Mae had forgotten about that custom otherwise she would have warned Ed. Edward wasn't sure what they were talking about but felt the grip on his hair tighten and the knife pressed against his ponytail. Several long blond strains fell to the ground.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He started to panic but remained still.

"[Enough, that's not necessary. Besides he's not from around here. The two of you are dismissed.]" The two guards seemed displease with the order but obeyed anyway, releasing Ed roughly. Rubbing his neck, he stood up straight, narrowing his glare at the Emperor.

"Don't look at me like that. I just saved your ass."

"If you had been so helpful in the first place I wouldn't be here at all." Ling sighed heavily.

"[Governors, I will need to postpone our meeting.]" There were several obvious objections in response but eventually the men gave into the Emperor's request and left the room.

"I swear this whole situation is seriously messing up my schedule. I'm never gonna get anything done." Despite how low he kept his voice, Edward heard him. It caused the older Elric brother to frown even more.

"When you say it like that, it's almost as though you know something."

"Know something about what, Ed?" Ling was really pushing Ed's buttons and he was doing everything in his power to keep his patience. Sucking in a breath, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Where Alphonse is."

"I don't know where he is. Considering how much time has gone by he could have just gone back home."

"I doubt that. Do you really think I'd believe for a second that anything happens in this city you don't know about?" Ling let out a laugh in response.

"You really think that? I have a hard enough time keeping my meetings on schedule thanks to you and Mae." Edward had enough of the run around and moved forward quickly.

"I've had enough of you're stupid games! I know you know something." Just as he reached the Emperor, he was blocked by one very familiar bodyguard. Lan Fan pushed him back slightly, standing between Ling and him. His amber glare met hers as he pushed back. "Lan Fan, let me go. I'm, sick of his smug little attitude,"he turned his attention back to Ling, "What, did you forget how to care about other people when you became Emperor?" He was shaking his fists as Lan Fan held her ground.

"Please Edward. If you hit the young lord, I'm obligated to take you out. I understand you're worried for Alphonse but there really isn't anything he can do." The blond grudgingly stepped back, unhappy with the lack of cooperation.

"I would help if I could, Ed. But you have to realize that you have so much more freedom to find him then I do. My hands are really tied on this, I'm sorry." The deep scowl remained on Ed's face as he released a small growl.

'Yeah, I bet you are. Fine, I'll just blow up your little city trying to find him. It doesn't matter to me." Deciding this conversation was going nowhere, he turned casually placing his hands in his pockets. Ling honestly didn't know if he should take him seriously or if he was joking about it. Without his alchemy, the slightly older teen was limited but Ling knew that wouldn't stop him.

"Well when you're not blowing up my city, feel free to stay in the palace." Ed waved his one hand over his head, closing his eyes as he spoke.

"I don't need you're charity!" As he sulked to the door, the two chimeras frowned back at him.

"Just cause you don't seem to want to stay here, doesn't mean we won't," Heinkel mentioned to him.

"You can sleep on the street like a dog for all we care," Darius added. Despite Edward's declaration he would end up staying as well.

"Fine but I don't have to like it," he grumbled back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"I don't care if you like it or not, this is amazing," Heinkel said to Edward as they sat around a low table full of various foods, none of which they had ever tried. Edward was having a difficult time being miserable as he sat there stuffing his face while wearing a very comfortable blue robe made of silk. As much as he wanted to think this special treatment was because of all he had done for Ling back in Amestris he knew better. For one thing Heinkel and Darius couldn't fit into any of the robes they were offered and this generosity felt more like a distraction from the real reason they were there. As much as Ed didn't want to accept anything offered, he had a hard time saying no to Ling's servants. For some reason they really seemed to like him and he wasn't sure why. Once he had eaten his fill, he leaned back and sighed happily. He really hadn't gotten a lot to eat the past two days, especially with the two chimeras around.

"Hey Mae," Edward got the Xingese princess' attention. "Why do the servants keep referring to me as Shaneto?" Mae arched an eyebrow, surprised he hadn't heard the term from Alphonse.

"It's cause of how you look. I guess you weren't with us in the mine when I told Alphonse about it. It means 'Golden being' and most of our citizens believe it is someone who is immortal." Ed's gaze went wide in disbelief.

"So they all think I'm immortal, like some kind of god?"

"Pretty much."

"No wonder I've been treated so nicely, well other then that whole threatening Ling earlier." He hoped that this wasn't going to interfere with his search for Al. As much as he wanted to start looking for his brother right away, he couldn't help but stifle a yawn. It was pretty late and even more so for him considering there was a time difference. He found that he was having a difficult time keeping his eyes open now.

"Edward, you should probably head off to bed. You look pretty tired," Mae observed as he leaned back and seemed to be dozing off.

"Uh huh." His gaze shifted over to the two chimeras at the table as they polished off the two bottles of sake. He knew he shouldn't have let them talk him into having some. But the reasoning that he was old enough now seemed like a valid reason at the time. His head tilted to the side and before he knew it, he was being pulled up to his feet.

"Alright, time for bed," Darius announced, sounding a little drunk. He dragged Ed along, bringing him to his room. Dropping the tired blond on the low bed, Darius got a good look at the ornate bedroom. "Well that's not fair, how come his room is so decked out?" Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from anyone, he wearily left the room. Edward was probably asleep before his head hit the pillow.

uuuuuuuuuuu

The night became oddly quiet once everyone had gone to bed. Ed rolled over at some point, snoring loudly. He had always been bad about letting his guard down when he slept. Silently two individuals crept into the room and leaned over his sleeping form. One of them pulled out a bottle and a white cloth.

"[Do you think we even need that, he seems pretty out of it,]" the one whispered to the other.

"[Better safe then sorry.]" The other figure dressed in black unscrewed the lid on the bottle and began to cover the cloth in clear liquid. "[Seems like this will be so much easier then catching the first one.]" The damp rag was only inches away from Edward's mouth when the door to his room burst open. Two still slightly drunk chimeras stood there, obviously displeased with the fact that their sleep had been interrupted.

"Why not just announce your presence, why don't yah? We could hear you like you were shouting in here. If you think you're taking the runt, you can forget it," Heinkel growled as they remained where they were, not for intimidation but more because moving too much might cause them to loose their dinner. The two strangers moved away from the sleeping teen, prepared to attack the other Amestrians in the room.

"Oh great now they're coming after us," Darius muttered, barely getting out of the way before the one sliced through the air with a curved sword. The same individual turned to Heinkel, swinging at him as well. Stumbling backwards, the normally coordinated chimera changed quickly, scratching at his attacker. Darius got back up to notice the other intruder going back to Ed, drug soaked rag in hand. Moving as quickly as possible, he knocked the other man away with a single swing of his large arm. Without thinking, he picked Ed up and slung him over his shoulder. "You've got this, right?" He was on his way out of the room.

"Are you kidding, two against one isn't the kind of odds I like. Now put the kid down and help me." Heinkel eyed the other trespasser as he got back up and unsheathed his own sword. There was nothing he could do to stop him since he was still holding off the other one. Before Darius had the chance to put Ed back down, a blur moved through the open door at the now armed intruder. Mae landed her foot right in his stomach, sending him to the floor. The two chimeras stared in shock as she easily took the man down.

"[Where's my Alphonse? You'd better tell me where he is!]" Edward blinked several times, rubbing his head. He wasn't sure what was going on and this all felt oddly like a dream. Now seeing that they weren't going to get out so easily, the one assailant fighting Heinkel pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it to the ground. Normally the lack of sight wouldn't faze him and he could keep fighting however the sake was limiting his increase sense of smell. When the smoke faded from the room, the one intruder was gone while the other that Mae was fighting was unconscious on the floor. There was a slight movement under his body and a black and white head poked out from underneath.

"Shao Mai!" The tiny panda pushed it's way out from under the kidnapper and jumped into Mae's arms. "I was so worried about you."

"What the hell's going on? What's a guy gotta do to get some sleep around here," Edward grumbled as he managed to get off Darius' shoulder and wearily headed back over to his bed. On the way, he stepped on the unconscious man with his metal foot, not noticing him and dropped onto the soft mattress below.

"We should tie him up," Mae announced.

"Who, Ed," Darius asked.

"No, of course not. The intruder." She poked the man with her foot to make sure he was still out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

When Ed woke up the next morning, he noticed he was no longer alone in his room. Darius and Heinkel were sleeping by the door and across the room was a man in black, tied up and trying to get loose.

"What happened last night?" Ed rubbed the side of his head, still feeling a little tired. Stretching some, he got out of bed and walked over to the two chimeras. As he leaned over them, Heinkel opened an eye and let out a yawn. He poked Darius to wake him up as well.

"Come on, the kids' up." Edward grinned more at the two of them.

"Aw, how cute, the two of you were worried about me. You're such good pets." He reached a hand out to help them up when they pounced at him, knocking him to the ground. The intruder from the night before watched in shock as the chimeras proceeded to kick the blond on the ground.

"Call us pets, will yah," Heinkel stated.

"You've got some nerve, runt. We just didn't want to see you get taken as well. Keep that attitude up and we'll just hand you over next time."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry!" They stepped back, waiting for him to get back up. "Sheesh," Ed muttered as he managed to get to his feet. "So what's up with this guy anyway?" He glanced over at the culprit they apprehended.

"He and his partner snuck in here last night. We can only assume they came for you and probably know where your brother is."

"Really?" A devious grin crossed Ed's face as he cracked his knuckles. "Thanks for saving me a little fun."

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Mae felt herself being woken up as someone shook her gently. Opening her eyes, she glanced up to see Luan. After blinking several times, the Xingese girl sat up rather quickly, remembering the night before.

"[We've gotta make sure Ed didn't get captured.]" She had fallen asleep out in the hallway,keeping guard several feet away from his room. As she reached the door she could hear quite the commotion from inside and hurried to open it.

"Where's Al? I'm just going to keep beating you until you tell me." The man kept muttering answers in Xingese but it was clear that he wasn't cooperating. Mae glanced over to the two chimeras who seemed to find this situation amusing.

"I wonder how long he's gonna keep it up till he realizes the guy probably doesn't understand what he's saying?" Mae knew Heinkel was right and hurried over.

"Ed, this isn't going to find Al. Besides, he's been telling you he doesn't know." Edward dropped his balled up fists and slouched.

"Oh."

"I'll have the guards lock him up and we'll try to figure out a plan later, okay?" Without Alphonse around, Ed really did need someone else to keep him calm and collective. Otherwise he probably would have just kept to what he was doing until the guy past out. Once everything had settled down some, Mae brought out a large map of the city and placed it on the floor in Edward's room.

"So I checked out the entire south side of the city but couldn't find anything." She pointed out to the three Amestrians looking over the map with her.

"Then I guess we need to go ahead and check out the rest of the city," Edward suggested, even though he didn't like the idea of wondering the streets of the city, unsure of what he was looking for. Something in the far right corner caught his eye and he noticed Mae's pet waving for everyone's attention. Mae noticed as well and smiled happily.

"Oh that's right, Shou Mei has been to the place they took Alphonse. We just have to follow her and she should be able to show us." As she turned back to Ed and the two chimeras, she caught the less then enthusiastic looks on their faces.

"Really," Darius rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "Following a cat seems a little much don't you think?"

"No! She can help us." She turned to Ed, expecting him to back her up. He grudgingly shrugged back.

"It's the only lead we seem to have. Of course we could just go back to beating that guy up."

"That didn't work, remember," Heinkel and Darius said in unison, annoying the teen even more.

"Hey, why don't you guys come up with something?"

"I've got an idea, why don't we just let them take you and follow behind." Heinkel pointed a finger in Ed's face.

"That's a horrible idea! Then you'd have to rescue both of us!" Luan, who had been standing by the door cleared her throat before speaking up.

"Actually that's the best plan I've heard all day." Edward got up, angrily gritting his teeth.

"I'm glad you all think this is funny, cause I certainly don't. It's easy to suggest someone get taken when it's not you." Deciding he was tired of this conversation, he stalked out of the room without saying anything else. As much as he had tried to avoid how worried he was about Alphonse, he was beginning to see it coming out. He couldn't take the strain any more. Al had been missing for far too long now and no one other then Mae seemed to understand the concern that was growing into desperation. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his robe, he wondered through the enormous hallways until he was pretty much lost. This only confirmed that he would no doubt get lost if he ventured out into the city at all. There was the sound of water somewhere nearby and he followed it until he found himself in a large courtyard.

It was a serene place with a fountain in the middle and a pond with fish. As he moved closer to the water, his metal foot made an off noise as it came down on the rocky ground. All around were different types of plants that he'd never seen before. Looking up, he stared in awe at the light blue glass that was the ceiling.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?" He brought his gaze over to where the voice came from. Ling was leaning over the pond, feeding the fish. Ed couldn't help but frown at his friend, still trying to figure out why he wasn't helping them. His very presence annoyed Ed, shattering any hope he had of relaxing in this place. As he contemplated what choice words to respond with, he felt another presence behind him and looked back and then up. The large guard eyed him suspiciously. He noted the masked man was sharpening his knife on a small stone, all the while eyeing the blond's hair that was loosely held back in a low ponytail. Edward failed to smile back, his expression seeming goofy as he carefully moved away from the man.

"It would be peaceful if you didn't have creepy guards sneaking up on a guy." Ed managed to make it over to the emperor who found his statement funny. Ling laughed in response before calmly sighing.

"Sorry bout all this. I wish I was able to be more help with Al." Edward blinked and had to remind himself to keep his mouth shut. "I'm worried too yah know, it's just I don't have the same liberties I once had."

"So why not send out your guards? They seem to have all the time in the world to stand around, making people feel uneasy." Ling shook his head in disbelief at Ed's bluntness. No one was as brutally honest as Ed was with him. Everyone else was too busy kissing up.

"If I did that, then the people would think I was misusing my power. It's a lot more complicated then you think."

"It's not complicated to me. It's my family that's in trouble here." Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Ed knew not to yell with the one guard standing so close. "With or without your help, I'm gonna find him." Even though he was keeping his voice low, Ling knew it was a promise.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note- yeah I got some more reviews. Thanks. It's good to know people are reading this.**  
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**Chapter Ten**

"See, isn't this nice?" Ling's cheerful tone was not enough to make Edward forget everything that was going on.

"Why is it that I feel you're trying to distract me?" The emperor squinted over at him, almost in a hurt manner.

"Aw, now you're not being fair. I just figured you would enjoy this and besides, can't I make up for all the hospitality you showed me in Amestris."

"You mean sneaking into my room and ordering a ridiculous amount of food that I had to pay for? That hospitality?"

"I don't remember it happening that way." Edward reached his arm up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Why am I not surprised." He sucked in a deep breath, inhaling the hot air around them. Ling had shown him to his own personal hot spring, right in the palace. He really did want to enjoy it but then he also had the desire to choke the emperor as well now that there weren't any guards around. It still wasn't a good idea though even in a solitary place like this. Instead he leaned his head back, staring at the ornate ceiling above.

"I still feel like I'm wasting time and you're perfectly okay with that."

"Why do you have to over analyze everything? It's just like with Al. I'm sure there's a simple reason someone would want him."

"It's not always something simple. There could be some huge conspiracy going on here."

"Come on Ed, conspiracy?" Ling noted the annoyed look he was getting and chose to look away.

"You're talking to someone who served under a leader that wasn't even human. So yeah, I think conspiracy is the right word." He pointed an accusing finger at his friend. "And you'd better be completely oblivious to whats going on when I get to the bottom of this." Ling got really quiet at that point, as though he had nothing snide to reply with. Almost as though there was some truth behind Ed's statement. He seemed to get lost in thought and Ed swore he saw a worry on his face that he was feeling as well. But there was no way Ling's concern could really be for Alphonse. The awkward silence hung between them for quite awhile, leaving the only sound in the room the water pouring into the hot spring. Finally an ironic smile spread across Ling's mouth.

"You must think being the leader of an entire country is easy with just a bunch of perks, don't you?" The blond was shocked at the accusation.

"What makes you think that? I never said anything about it being easy. I'm sure there's a whole bunch of responsibilities a lazy slob like you manages to avoid on a daily basis."

"Gee, thanks. I'm serious though. Everyone thinks you can do anything and that you don't care about anyone under you. On top of all of that, any decision you make, they assume you have some hidden agenda behind your choice. And then there are those who try to use you for their own benefit. You can never show any signs of weakness or someone might use it against you." By this point, Edward seemed bored with the conversation and appeared to be thinking of something else, probably a plan to rescue Alphonse.

"So why are you telling me all this?" He wasn't even looking in Ling's direction as he spoke.

"Because it's relevant." Ed noted the irritation in Ling's voice and glanced back over. "I'm sure that whoever has Al, has no intentions of hurting him."

"You sound as though you know that for a fact." Instead of shrugging off what Edward pointed out and making light of the conversation, he kept his serious tone.

"I'm just saying that you should make sure you know all the facts before jumping into a situation you can't control." The Amestrian sucked in a breath before scratching the back of his head.

"Sheesh, it's like you're talking in riddles or something. It doesn't make any sense. Either you know something or don't." Ling had to hold back a laugh at Ed's ranting. When he was frustrated like this, Edward was pretty amusing.

"Trust me, if I was able to do anything I would." Edward's whole body seemed to slouch, bringing him all the way into the water up to his nose.

"Not helping," He muttered from under the water. Before Ling could say anything else, the door slid open and two female servants entered the small room.

"Excuse us, my lord. We brought you and your guest something to eat as well as some extra towels." One of the women set down a tray of food while the other set the towels down. She then went over to Ling and offered him a cold cloth for his head. Ed noticed she kept her head down the entire time. He could only assume it was a sign of respect. Neither of them even made eye contact with the emperor. When the same servant came over to his side of the spring, he found himself feeling self conscious, the closer she got. Only wearing a towel, he still felt somewhat indecent and looked away from her as he reached for the cloth offered to him.

"Uh, thanks." His voice cracked slightly and his face turned red and not from the heat in the room. As she moved towards the door with the other servant, he let out a deep breath. Despite his hope that Ling didn't notice, he caught the grin he was receiving from across the way.

"If there isn't anything else lord, we'll leave the two of you to your privacy." Their statement caused the already flustered blond to stand up and turn to the door in quick defense of himself.

"We don't need privacy. We're just friends." He pointed at Ling in case there was any confusion who he was talking about. Before he could embarrass himself anymore, Ling couldn't hold back anymore as he laughed.

"Yes, thank you ladies. We really would like to be alone." Ed turned back to him, now completely mortified at the implications. As the door slid closed, he could hear the two servants giggling as they hurried away.

"Th...that's not funny, Ling." The Emperor's laughter erupted even louder.

"When did you get so perverted?"

"I'm not," he whined back. "They were the ones saying perverted things." Ling placed his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Just sit down before you loose your towel. You certainly jumped to the wrong conclusion pretty fast." Edward took his seat again, trying to calm down.

"You didn't help either. You know their going to talk about you too."

"I've gotten use to all sorts of rumors. I've learned not to care. Since I don't have twenty wives yet, people have come up with all sorts of ideas about me."

"So then you and Lan Fan haven't..." Ling sighed heavily in response to Ed's observation.

"Things are complicated with her. It's not exactly a desired matching to the countries standard. I'm suppose to marry someone I'm betrothed to first."

"Sounds stupid."

"It is but the class system here determines quite a lot. So what about you. I saw how nervous my servants made you."

"Well they barged in like that and it was just weird. Besides, I'm already spoken for and have no desire to die any time soon." Ling thought about his statement for a second before smiling wickedly at his friend.

"Ah Winry. Yeah I get it now. But she's not going to find out about anything that happens here."

"Doesn't matter. I made a promise and I'm gonna keep it. I don't want twenty wives, thanks."

"I don't think I do either," Ling agreed. Edward found himself smiling at the thought of Winry. It made him realized how much he wanted to find Al, not just for Al's sake but also so that he could go home quicker. There really was no way to contact Winry from Xing.

"Hey so what about Mae?" Ling glanced over his shoulder, a large shrimp tail hanging from his mouth.

"What about her?" His answer was muffled and Ed sighed heavily before moving closer to look over the food.

"Well if you have to be betrothed to someone does the same thing go for her too since she's royalty? Maybe someone didn't like the idea of Al getting so close to her and that's why they took him." Ling shook his head before swallowing his bite.

"Trust me, Al is considered an honorable posibility for Mae." Ed raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"Why? Cause he's from Amestris?"

"No, it's because of how he looks." Edward rolled his eyes now as he picked up a bowl of rice.

"You mean that whole immortality thing? Shato or whatever. We can't help it if we're stuck looking like that bastard Hohenheim."

"It's Shaneto, and it's not just a supersitious thing around here. You go take a walk through the city and see what happens. People in this country think of you as a God."

"Is that what you think?" Ed started eating his meal, now realizing how hungry he was. Ling smiled at the thought before simply saying:

"Please Ed, I know you too well to think that highly of you."

"Thanks a lot."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"That damn Ling. What a waste of time." It seemed to be getting dark outside at this point and Ed wondered where the day had gone. Another day where nothing productive had happened. He was no closer to rescuing Alphonse. Thinking over the day he wondered how late he had slept that morning. He just couldn't figure out where all the hours in the day had gone. And what was worst about it was the fact that he still wasn't all that sure how to get back to his room. The palace halls all looked alike and with each new hallway he just seemed to get more turned around. He let out a growl as another hallway left him clueless. Why he hadn't bothered to ask Ling where the heck he was and how he was suppose to get back to his room, he couldn't understand. After getting out of the hot springs, Ling had convinced him to have dinner and even had his clothes cleaned. As nice as the silk robes were, he felt more comfortable in his own clothing.

Passing several female servants, he noticed how they were all staring at him and smiling shyly to themselves. Not sure what else to do, he smiled back and waved. They all giggled in response. He wondered if they would know where his room was. "Hey do you think you could help me?" Before he had the chance to say anything else, they all hurried off, keeping their heads down and not making eye contact with him. Crossing his arms, he let out a breath. "Well that wasn't very nice." Dropping his shoulders, he turned in the opposite direction, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Somehow he found himself in front of a huge set of doors, even bigger then the ones to the throne room. As he got closer, two large lion statues on either side lit up with alkehestry and pulled the doors open.

Ed stared in awe at the amazing sight. The city stood on the other side, lights sparkling as the sun set in the distance. He knew there was a reason Al liked coming here. It was a really pretty place to visit. As he stood in the doorway taking in the sight, he felt a twinge of sadness in his chest. Everything seemed to be a distraction. First with Ling and now the beauty of the city. All of it made things appear better then they were. Made it feel like this was a vacation and that he wasn't here for any other purpose. He wanted to believe what Ling said about whoever had taken Al didn't want to hurt him, but then why force him in such a harsh manner. Allow him to make the choice if he wanted to go voluntarily. From what Mae said, that had not been the case. It wasn't like Al was as disagreeable as Ed was. He sighed heavily, feeling completely helpless.

"So this is where you went." He turned to see Mae standing behind him.

"Actually I've been wondering all over this place, trying to get back to my room. Guess I should think twice before stalking off like that next time."

"I'm sorry I can't be more help." The Xingese princess bowed her head slightly and Ed noticed she seemed on the verge of tears. Despite how he felt, he didn't want to make her anymore upset.

"It's okay, Mae. It's not your fault." She nodded quietly, a sniffle escaping her. Ed forced a smile and shifted his weight on the wall in order to face her more. "So, the city is really pretty." Mae glanced up and her expression softened.

"Yeah it is this time of day. Now that I think about it, you haven't even gotten a chance to see any of the city. Of course, I don't know if it would be okay. I mean because you're from Amestris and you know." Edward sighed again and slouched as he turned and walked down a couple of steps.

"Yeah, yeah. I already had practically every female servant acting weird around me. How does Alphonse deal with all this attention?"

"Well he's usually with me and I guess he just isn't as outspoken as you are, maybe." By this point she was staring at the ceiling, afraid of the look on his face now.

"Gee, thanks." Deciding he didn't want to go any further outside, he turned back to her. "So tomorrow, we really need to figure out a plan. As much as I hate it, the best idea so far is following that little fur ball of yours."

"Her name is Shao Mai."

"Whatever, she's the only lead we've got. So go talk panda with her or whatever it is you do."

"She understands me!" Mae was getting huffy now.

"Sure, sure." As he started to head back inside, there was the feeling of someone standing behind him. Mae's expression turned to fear as she recognized what was about to happen all to well.

"You must be the older brother." Edward's head jerked to the side as he noticed two huge men in black standing on either side of a skinnier tall man. "One of Hohenheim's sons." He couldn't help but grin to himself, finding this situation ironic.

"You just saved me the trouble of finding you." The other Amerstian smiled back, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, and you saved us the trouble of going across the desert. However if you think we're going to underestimate you, you're wrong. We know all about you." Finally the blond turned around, as arrogant as ever.

"Good, I wouldn't want this to be boring."

Author's notes-finally some action. Sorry this has been kind of boring but the next chapter will be awesome. This week is going to be hectic so I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. Send some love!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter twelve**

Two large hands came down on either side of Ed. He moved quickly, ducking down and moved away. Taking a step back, he turned to see Mae standing there, still in shock.

"Mae, go get the others!"

"But what about you?" The mountain of a man attacking him, swung a large fist in his direction that he managed to dodge.

"I can handle this, just go!" Without a a second thought, Mae turned and hurried back inside. Once she was gone, he was able to focus on the situation at hand. "So why don't you just to tell me where my brother is?" The thin man standing before him let out a light chuckle.

"Why don't you just come with us and we'll bring you to him." Edward grinned maniacally at the notion.

"If you know anything about me, you know that's not gonna happen."

"Well that's a shame," the other man shook his head before addressing his two men. "Make sure you don't hurt him too badly."

uuuuuuuuuu

Mae hurried through the hallway until she made it back to where Heinkel and Darius were staying. Forcing the door open, she needed a minute to catch her breath.

"Edward's in trouble." As loyal as she thought the two chimeras were to Ed, the reaction wasn't so much concern then annoyance. Heinkel grudgingly got to his feet while Darius grumbled loudly.

"What is it this time? I swear that kid can't stay out of trouble for five minutes." Sluggishly the two of them got over to her, clearly irritated that their quiet stay was being interrupted.

"Come on, let's get this over with."

uuuuuuuuuuu

Edward ran down the main street, dodging people and several vendors in his way. Despite the amount of citizens out right now, it didn't stop the two large men from chasing after him. They moved faster then he expected through the crowd. Thinking quickly, he hurried into a side street. He had to put as much distance between them as possible. If he was going to get caught, he had to wait for Heinkel and Darius to show up so they could follow. As much as he hated the idea of it, he knew that this was probably the only way he was going to find Alphonse and figure out what was going on. Why this guy, from his country of all places wanted Al and him, he had no idea. Just as he thought he'd lost his pursuers, one of them jumped down from a nearby rooftop. The large man blocked the exit. Ed stopped short and turned back the way he came only to find that was blocked as well.

Realizing he was cornered, he did the only thing he could think of. He'd seen Mae do something similar once and hoped it would work for him too. Quickly drawing a circle on the ground, he placed his metal foot in the center of it. The circle started to glow giving Ed some hope that he might actually be able to pull Alkehestry off correctly. Now he just had to bring the ground up from underneath the two men and he could get around them. Just as he thought he had a pretty good grasp on what he was doing, he felt the ground start to move but instead of shooting his attackers up through the air, he was vaulted upward. Luckily he wasn't launched too high however landed hard in an open dumpster nearby. Coughing loudly, he struggled to get out but only managed to fall onto the ground.

"Somehow this is not going very well." Looking up, he noticed the two men in black were still keeping him from getting away.

"[The other one seemed more coordinated,]" the one said to the other.

"[I thought he was suppose to be some kind of threat.]" Ed remained down, rubbing his sore ribs. The other man brought out some rope, prepared to tie him up. "[Hopefully we don't get blamed for his injuries.]" Just as they got closer to him, there was a low growl from behind.

"Leave the shrimp alone. He belongs to us," Darius informed them.

"Why must you always refer to me as being small? And I don't belong to _**YOU**_!"

"Quiet, kid! You're really becoming a hand full. How are we suppose to find Alphonse if you keep getting into trouble."

"Can't we discuss this later?" Ed rolled onto his back.

"Fine fine, let's get rid of these two first," Heinkel muttered as he and Darius flexed their muscles, transforming. The two opponents stared in shock at the two chimeras preparing to charge them. Darius leaped through the air while Heinkel pounced from a lower stance. Darius landed hard, slamming his fists down on the one man in black. The Xingese warrior managed to get back up, also swinging his fists. The gorilla dodged the attack and slammed him into the nearby wall. Meanwhile Heinkel tackled his opponent to the ground. Straightening up some, he scratched at the man's chest only to find a solid sheet of armor. Edward weakly got back on his feet, still feeling dizzy.

"Sheesh, they always have to go overboard," he muttered. Mae ran around the corner and stopped when she saw the commotion. Luckily no one else was around to see the two half beasts attack. Frankly all this chaos was not something the citizens of Xing would handle well. Especially since it involved foreigners. Darius was tossed against a wall, getting Mae's attention. She hurried over to try and help but paused when Heinkel was thrown in her direction. Moving quickly, she ducked just as he went flying overhead.

"Ed," Darius managed to grab his opponent from behind. "What are you doing? You need to get out of here!" The blond nodded, realizing he needed to take this chance to get away. Heading further down the side street, he tried to get his barrings together. Somehow he had managed to get in over his head and until he could figure out how to get Alkehestry to work the way he needed it to, he had no idea how he was going to help Alphonse. With his head still hurting, he wondered further away from the fight.

"Did you think you could just walk away?" The voice from behind caught him by surprise as he spun around. Despite how helpless he felt, he glared at the other man from Amestris grinning at him.

"Where is Alphonse? And what do you want with us?"

"Funny you don't seem to be any position to be making any demands." That statement warranted a growl in response. "I saw that pathetic attempt at Alkehestry. You're really out of your league." Edward hated nothing more then to have someone under estimate him. Glancing around, he noted a nearby trash can and a stone on the ground nearby. Picking up the rock at his feet, he quickly scribbled a transmutation circle on the side of the can. Kicking it with his metal foot, it transmuted, warping into a weapon. Grabbing what he thought was going to be a metal staff, he glanced down to see a sword instead. At least he was getting somewhat better.

"Guess this will do, now you were telling me where Al is."

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Mae placed her hand in the center of the circle she'd scratched on the wall. Alkehestry bounced around the alley, ceasing any attacks from wither side. The walls started to close in, forcing Heinkel and Darius to get out of the way, as well as the two men in black. Now there was a barrier between them. The two chimeras seemed unhappy that they weren't allowed to finish the fight, however the stern look on Mae's face told them not to question her.

"We need to go find Edward," she informed them. Deciding they didn't want to argue with her, they trudged after the Xingese girl. Turning the nearest corner, Mae stopped short when she noticed the sword laying on the ground. Knowing he couldn't have gotten too far, she turned to the two behind her, concern written all over her face. "Where'd he go?"

Author's Note-So I got a review asking how Ed was using alchemy if this takes place after Brotherhood. I don't know how more obvious I have to make it that he's using Alkehestry.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter thirteen**

The silence, while short was getting on Edward's last nerve. The man before him didn't seemed remotely worried about the fact that he had a sword pointed at him.

"So you gonna tell me anything or not, cause frankly I have no problem kicking your ass along with whoever else you want to throw at me." The thin man across the way seemed amused with his threats. There was the sound of metal clanging, softly in the distance. It had a pace, a steady movement that caught Ed's ear. He ignored it, staying focused on the other Amestrian.

"My my, you really do have quite the temper. It really is going to get you into trouble. Definitely something we'll have to work on."

"You're not 'working' on anything. I don't think you realize what you're up against." It didn't seem to matter what Edward said though, the other man standing in the alley simply smiled, as though he knew something Ed didn't. The clanging came closer, to the point that it was right behind him. He turned and his amber gaze became wide with confusion with what he was looking at. It was enough to make him pause in his attack, dropping the weapon in his hand. The sword clattered loudly on the ground as the teen stared in shock. Ed could do nothing but gawked at the normally stationary object before him.

"W..What the...?" As he stared at the suit of armor, the look of surprise was replaced by an amused smirk. "Well this just made everything all the more interesting." Although the suit didn't move as fluently as Alphonse used to, it was still a force to be reckoned with. Edward was quick to dodge as it swung at him, however in that movement he knew that if this thing managed to land a hit, he wouldn't be getting back up. The suit brought it's hands together, slamming his fists down at the blond. Ed took a quick jump back, loosing his balance. Thinking quickly, he bent more into the fall and hand sprung himself further away from his attacker.

Now things were becoming more clearer for him. Why they had taken Alphonse and why they now wanted him. This empty suit of armor before him had all the answers. "So this is why you needed me, huh? And Al? You want to play God and fool around with human transmutation, well you can forget either one of us helping you at all," he hollered back at the thin older man. The response was a simple chuckle as he grinned at the foolish teen.

"You certainly do jump to conclusions don't you. The suits' not empty and as for needing you for human transmutation, you're not even close." Ed glanced back, confusion pasted on his face once more. For whatever reason he actually thought he was going to get a straight answer at this point. Of course he had no such luck as he felt the heavy mass behind him hit the back of his head rather hard. There was more to the suit then he anticipated. It felt like solid rock making contact with his skull as he went down quickly. "I really did want to make this easy and have no one get hurt, but you forced our hand, unfortunately." The teen swayed on his feet before falling backwards. The large object behind him placed it's arms out to catch him. Without another word said, the man turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction with the armor stomping behind.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

"He's gone, they must have taken him!" Mae was starting to panic as she looked around the empty alley. Her shrill voice bounced off the close space, causing both chimeras to cover their ears.

"He might have just gotten lost, that's pretty easy considering how crowded the city is," Darius explained but it did little to help.

"No, they took him just like they did Alphonse. We'll never find either of them now." She was on the verge of tears, however she had already witnessed this before and there was only one explanation for it.

"Boy, you guys sure are hopeless aren't you." The three of them turned to see someone none of them noticed before, standing nearby. He had a black mask on, covering his entire face except for his eyes. The rest of his outfit was black as well, almost as though he was one of the royal body guards like Lan Fan. "I guess it's just a relief that you didn't make a bigger mess of things." He noted the two men still unconscious behind him.

"What do you want, stranger dressed in black?" Mae picked up the sword on the ground and raised it in defense. The dark individual raised his hands in a surrendering manner.

"I wasn't trying to start anything, just hoping to help out is all. And by the looks of things you seem to need it." Due to the truth of the matter, his statement made Mae want to cry all the more.

"He's right, we don't have any leads at all. I'll never see my sweet Alphonse ever again." Heinkel covered his sensitive ears as she whined.

"Oh please stop that sound. Why don't we just take this guy up on his offer to help."

"Besides, from what I understand, you do have one lead. Of course it is a small one." The man pointed a gloved finger at the tiny panda perched on Mae's shoulder. "I bet she knows."

"Are you serious? You really want to follow some pet around the city in order to find the Elric brothers," Darius seemed untrusting of the stranger so interested in their situation.

"Do you have a better idea? Do you think you could perhaps smell them or something." The statement had a tone that wasn't complimentary.

"Hey, it's not all that bad. You'd be amazed." The gorilla quickly took defense.

"Whether we use you're sense of smell or a panda, does it really matter. Standing here is just wasting time." Mae surprisingly found herself agreeing with their new companion.

"He's right, we need to get on the move. It would be easier to find Edward sooner, right? I doubt they've gotten too far." Heinkel sighed heavily before scratching his head.

"I can't believe the mess this kids' getting us into. Let's just hurry up."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter fourteen**

Ed was woken by a sharp pain in his arm. His head and entire body felt heavy. Without even moving his arms or legs he could feel his limbs being restrained. Choosing not to open his eyes, he remained still knowing that there was no point in struggling. Maybe they would bring him to Alphonse. There were several people surrounding him and speaking a language that he didn't understand. It made him feel uneasy but he tried to stay as calm as possible.

There was another pain in his other arm and then in his real leg. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and tilt his head back. That reaction caused the people to talk even more. He hated this and couldn't help but wonder if they had done the same thing to Al. Before he could think any further there was the sound of a drill. Unable to keep quiet any longer he struggled against his restraints, hollering to get their attention. His sudden movement made them all go into action quickly around the table, some working to make sure he couldn't get free while another person forced his head back down and covered his mouth with a breathing mask. The smell of some sort of gas stung his nose and he tried to jerk his head away.

"Get off me!" Despite his efforts, his mind started to feel groggy and he couldn't hold onto his consciousness for much longer. As his eyes slid shut, his escape efforts became sluggish. No matter how much he lectured himself to keep fighting, this was another battle he wouldn't be able to win. All the while he could hear the sound of the drill coming closer to him. It made him feel ill. The only consolation from whatever they gave him was that he wouldn't be awake to feel the pain that was no doubt going to accompany the use of such a tool. With that thought, he closed his eyes and reluctantly let the drug take affect.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

"I still can't believe we're doing this." Darius sighed heavily as they followed Mae. She turned back with a disapproving look on her face.

"I didn't hear you come up with something better." The gorilla leaned back some and glanced away, unable to take the glare she gave him. His gaze wondered behind him to the dark figure that had mysteriously appeared several minutes earlier.

"And somehow we managed to pick up a random stranger. Something about all this doesn't seem right." The stranger didn't seem amused with the comment.

"Hey I could leave but you all seem helplessly lost without me." Heinkel let out a snort before hollering back.

"Funny, I don't see you taking the lead, we'd be fine without you." The back alley split into two side streets and Shao Mai stopped suddenly, getting Mae to quiet the rest of the group.

"You need to be quiet, she'll loose her concentration."

"Seriously?" Darius ran a hand over his face when she hushed him again. The panda finally glanced back, seeming confused at which way to go. It was at this moment that the man in black spoke up from behind.

"Looks like she forgot." Another minute went by as the four of them watched for the panda to choose which way to go. "Considering that the center of the city is to the left, I'd say we should probably go right. If these people are hiding your friend then they wouldn't bring him further into the city." Darius let out a growl at their new companion.

"And what makes you think that you have any idea what these people are doing? The last 'bad guy' we faced had his lair right below the city."

"That doesn't mean it's the same here though. I'm telling you the smartest place for them to take him is away from people."

"This is stupid. We don't have a chance at this rate," Heinkel complained loud enough to stop Darius from responding. The stranger sighed heavily through his mask.

"You two have pretty sharp noses, why not see if you can still catch your friend's smell. I'm sure that you can pick up his scent easily." Darius scratched his cheek, mulling it over in his head.

"Come to think of it, he does tend to smell like oil cause of his leg. Shouldn't be too difficult then." Heinkel was the first to move, getting low to the ground.

"This kind of feels degrading," he commented as he sniffed the area. Darius was on the other side of the alley, smelling the air, unwilling to get as low as Heinkel. Finally he grumbled to Mae that it was in fact to the right that they needed to go.

uuuuuuuuuuuuu

Although it was always pretty cold in the small room, the temperature seemed to drop even more when the sun had set for the day. Alphonse brought his legs up to his chest in an effort to stay warm. He was starting to really loose hope that he would ever get out of this place. Due to the unusual amount of sleep he was getting, it was all the more difficult to tell how many days had passed by this point. As he started to shiver, he brought his arms around his legs even more. It didn't seem to do much just like the thin blanket they had supplied for him.

All he wanted right now was to know what they wanted with him. He hadn't been told anything and by this point he felt that he deserved some kind of explanation. But as much as he felt he was owed anything, there hadn't been an opportunity to speak to anyone. When his food was brought and he was actually awake, it was usually by a woman. She never said anything to him and he could only say so many words in the Xingese language. At one point, he managed to grab her by the wrist and started asking all his questions in his own language but it only confused her. Before it went too far, she pulled away or rather he let her go, not wanting to hurt her.

So here he sat quietly as always, wondering if he'd get the chance to escape or at the very least told why he was here. Part of him even wondered if they thought he had done something wrong. Maybe they thought he wasn't suppose to be in the country and so this was their way of dealing with him. But if that was the reason then why didn't they just let him go home. He would be more then happy to go home, he realized how much he really missed his home. He missed his family, especially his brother. Edward probably had no idea what had happened, there really wasn't any way to get him a message unless Mae found a way to send him a message. He was certain she was worried sick about him. There had to be some reason she hadn't found him yet. Hopefully she was okay.

Realizing that this line of thinking was just making him feel worse, he started to think again of how he could escape. So far he really didn't have much to go with and honestly didn't know enough about his surroundings to know how to get out. If he was in the middle of a compound or under ground like he thought he was, then there would be more to getting out then just leaving the cell. There was a low squeaking of the door hinges that he had become familiar with by now. Two men were standing there with a stretcher between the two of them. Alphonse leaned away from the door, eyes wide and his back flat against the rear wall.

Had they come for him again? What did they want with him this time? This was the first time they came in without knocking him out or feeding him. Their presence made him feel uneasy and he forced himself to swallow. There was nowhere for him to go.

Author's notes-ah nice big chapter...now reviews! XD


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Al's expression revealed how worried he was as the two men moved into the small room. They didn't say anything to him as they pulled the stretcher in with them. For some reason they didn't seem too interested in Alphonse as the one turned his back to him. They were lifting someone else off the stretcher and Al realized he wasn't the only person they were keeping here. Despite all his questions he remained still, hoping that they just continued to ignore him. Luckily they did as they placed the other person down on the mattress and left the room without a second thought.

As the door shut, he released the breath that he had been holding. Carefully he moved over to the other person. Maybe they would know what was going on and why these people took them. Of course as soon as he turned his brother over, he knew that he wouldn't know any of these answers either. He wanted to feel relief to see Ed there but at the same time he was saddened that he had come all this way just to get caught as well. Gently, he rolled his older brother over to see if he was injured at all. Even though these people hadn't really hurt him for the most part, he knew Ed probably hadn't cooperated which could lead to injury. He immediately noticed his two arms were bandaged as well as the upper part of his real leg. Just like Al, they had left Edward wearing minimum clothing. All he had on was an undershirt and his boxers.

Alphonse also noticed that they had left another thin blanket and he grabbed it, placing it over his brother before he got too cold. Sitting back some, Al sighed to himself realizing that his brother's presence only meant that there was little to no chance of getting out of here. It didn't give him any solutions and made him scared for both their well being. He was trying to think of something, anything that could help them now, but nothing was coming to mind. It was so frustrating and Alphonse just didn't know how they were going to fix this. If only he hadn't gotten caught, maybe if he had put up more of a fight, or had just done something different, maybe they wouldn't be in this mess. The whole thing was his fault or at least that was how he saw it. Before he could beat himself up too much, Edward let out a groan that got his attention.

"Brother! Are you okay?" Ed shifted, bringing his amber gaze up to see Al leaning over him.

"Al? How about you?" He sat up weakly. "Did they hurt you?" Edward immediately noticed the bandage on Al's arm matching his own. He grit his teeth, knowing that it meant they had put Al through something similar to what they had done to him. "We have to get out of here."

"I don't know how though. I don't have any way to use my alkehestry." That fact made the cold creep in a little closer to Ed. As the realization hit him, he noticed Al looking even more distraught too.

"We'll figure something out. I don't think the others would give up on us so quickly."

uuuuuuuuuuuu

"Another dead end, that's just great. Why are we even bothering? I'm sure even if we find where these people took Ed, we're going to be overpowered." Heinkel was growing tired of what felt like chasing after a ghost. On top of feeling lost, it had started to rain which made being outside all the more annoying.

Mae was quickly becoming irritated with the attitude from the two chimeras but kept it to herself. If she had known they were going to whine like this, she wouldn't have bothered getting them involved. But then again she did need their help. She really hated how helpless she was feeling, all she wanted was to rescue Alphonse and now Edward.

"Did you loose his scent already?" Their annoying tag along didn't seem to know when to keep his mouth shut.

"It's raining, genius. It's kind of hard to pick up a smell when the weathers' like this."

"Maybe we need to go back the way we came and see if there's another street we missed."

"Despite your lack of faith in us, the runt's smell ends right here," Darius pointed at the wall in front of them.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Mae couldn't help but agree with the stranger but something didn't seem right about the wall before them either. Glancing down she noticed her panda squeaking for attention. Shao Mai was pointing at the wall and gesturing something about it. Quietly she moved forward and placed her hand on the cold stone. Any bickering that was happening around her cease as the other three watched what she was doing.

"This wall isn't real. It's like there's something behind it."

"You mean like a door that looks like a wall to keep people out," The dark individual suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can figure out how to get inside." Things were finally starting to look up.

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"So you brought Heinkel and Darius with you?" Alphonse was sitting Indian style on his sorry excuse for a bed while his brother inspected his automail. Nothing seemed out of place and it made him wonder if they had even tampered with it.

"Yeah but they're acting like they're on vacation more then helping me. It's been frustrating."

"Wow, I didn't realize so many people were looking for me." Al hunched forward feeling bad for causing everyone so much trouble.

"Just knock that off, we came because we care about you. There's no reason to feel bad about all this, it wasn't your fault."

"But no one would be in this mess if it wasn't for me."

"And blaming yourself isn't gonna help now, so quit it." Ed didn't even bother looking up at his younger brother but his tone revealed that he wasn't in the mood to argue with him about whose fault this was. He noticed a couple of screws looked striped on his automail and he let out a soft growl. "She's not gonna be happy with this." A frown made it's way across his face before he gave up looking over his leg. "So they haven't told you anything about why you're here?" Alphonse shook his head and sighed back.

"The only thing that was mentioned to me was that comment about being one of Hohenhiem's sons."

"Yeah they said that to me too. Can't believe he's still ruining our lives." Edward managed to sit next to Al and sulked. "Wish they'd just tell us whats going on." His brother's complaining brought a smile to Al's face. At least he wasn't here alone now.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Edward got to his feet quickly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists at his sides. However the man before him didn't seem intimidated**. **Pushing his glasses up on his nose, the man grinned at the two brothers. Ed took a step forward, putting himself between Alphonse and the guy who seemed to be the ring leader to this whole mess.

"What do you want?" Although he hadn't been here for very long, Edward was feeling extremely defensive of his younger brother.

"Mmm, I would have thought you'd settled down by now. Guess we still have some work to do." As expected, this observation only fueled Ed's temper.

"Are you going to tell us why we're here or does this need to get violent again?"

"The reason you're here really isn't any of your concern. I don't know why it matters, it's not going to change anything."

"Why do you keep talking to us like we don't have a say in any of this?" Al's voice came out in his normal soft tone but there was definitely some backbone behind his question.

"Because you don't. From this point on, your opinions don't matter. You belong to us now." This statement also increased Edward's anger.

"We don't belong to anyone, got it." Within two steps, the older of the brothers had the man by the collar and practically lifted him off the ground.

"I had a feeling you would be the more difficult one. We'll just have to fix that." Despite the position the man was in now, it didn't seem to faze him as he continued to smile back.

"There's nothing to fix! You're going to let us go or I'm gonna knock your teeth out!"

"Brother, this isn't going to help us get out of here." Alphonse always was the voice of reason but his brother wasn't interested in a diplomatic solution to this problem. They hadn't been asked to come along, they had been forced and he wasn't going to sit back and take anymore.

"Al be quiet, I know what I'm doing." He narrowed his glare at the man who was still slightly elevated from the floor. "It's in everyone's best interest that you let us go, otherwise the military of Amestris will be crawling all over this city."

"Really? I have a hard time believing that considering you no longer carry a state alchemist title." The blond holding him up grounded his teeth.

"Doesn't mean they don't still keep tabs on me. I'm suppose to check in every night or they'll come over to investigate."

"Is that true, Brother? But I thought Mustang was too busy with everything going on under the new Furer." Ed glanced back at Al, an obvious annoyance in his expression. It was enough to keep Alphonse from saying anything else.

"Oh I see, nice bluff but I'm not buying it." The other Amestrian let out a laugh that grated on Edward's nerves. "It really is a shame that your own government doesn't realize how special the two of you are."

"Stop being so cryptic and just tell us what is so damn important about us!" By this point Ed was shaking him. His temper lost all it's momentum as three other men walked into the room.

"As I said before Mr. Elric, it's none of your concern. All you need to know is neither one of you will be harmed too much." Reluctantly Edward placed the man down and stepped back next to Alphonse. The man before them readjusted his collar before taking a step forward along with the other three. "Now which one of you do we want this time, mmm?" Reaching out his gloved hand, he yanked Al by the wrist and got a sudden gasp in response.

"No let go," he whined as he tried to get loose. Al's reaction was enough to get Edward involved. He was quick to move in, grabbing onto the man's arm.

"Let him go! You've done enough to him!" The man's creepy expression turned to the older brother as he gleefully replied.

"Then I guess we'll take you instead."

"Wait what?" Before Ed could even wrap his head around what was going on, two of the other men standing off to the side took hold of him and forced him out into the hallway.

"No, please don't take him. I'll go! I promise we won't cause any trouble." But despite Al's pleas, the man with the glasses seemed unsympathetic.

"Don't worry, your turn will come."

"Alphonse, just stay put! Don't worry about me, I can handle these guys!" Edward always could talk big but when Al considered what he had already been through, or rather what he could remember, he wasn't sure if Ed could in fact handle this. The door slammed closed again and was locked, leaving him alone again in the cell. After several seconds, his body felt heavy and he slid down onto his knees.

What were they going to do to Ed? And more importantly what were their plans for both of them? He felt even more helpless now that Edward was involved. There were so many questions with no answers. He found it suddenly difficult to breath and he started to hypo ventilate. Before long, tears came to his eyes due to the frustration he was feeling.

"Someone has to find us. Please, May or anyone. They have to notice we're missing." He knew there was no one around to hear him however he didn't care. He didn't think that these people wanted to kill them, but there had to be a reason they were picked. The fact that they were from Amestris wasn't it considering that the head guy was also from there too. So what was it then? As much as he racked his brain, there was nothing, no possible answer to this problem. If he could figure out what they wanted, then maybe he could bargain with them and at least get Edward out. The quiet around him made him all the more aware of his brother's absence. He had to do something. They couldn't give up now.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Oww!" Ed was pressed faced down onto the metal table. He couldn't tell at this point how many guys were holding him in place but it was enough to keep him from fighting back.

"Considering your reputation Mr. Elric I've gotta say I'm surprised how easy this has been." Edward found himself laughing at the statement.

"Well you know, I want to give you a false sense of security." There was a snap of rubber gloves that brought the conversation to a halt. The back of Ed's shirt was pushed up and his entire body went stiff as the other Amestrian leaned over him.

"Somehow I don't think that has anything to do with it. I've done this kind of work for quite some time and I know how to handle your type." The man stepped back, taking a moment before moving on. Ed felt something wet wipe across his lower back which didn't make him feel any better about how things were going. He needed a plan but found it difficult to think with the side of his face pressed against the cold surface. "Now this is gonna hurt, so I recommend not moving too much. Otherwise you'll just make it worse." The statement sent a chill up Ed's back but before he could even brace himself, he felt a rather large needle puncture the center of his lower spine. He let out a startled growl, tensing every muscle until he realized he couldn't move.

"What did you just give me?" The older man removed the syringe and smiled proudly.

"Well I couldn't have you fighting me the entire time. This makes things easier on the both of us." Any pressure from being held down vanished but Edward wasn't able to even get up. He was lifted and turned around now laying flat on his back. The other man's smile was eerie as he looked Ed over again. It was as though he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do next. It made Ed feel uncomfortable. "Now I do believe I need to get some more samples from you."

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Alphonse let out a whine as he was pulled out of the cell. Edward had been gone for quite awhile before they came and got him. The two guards were hollering something at him in Xingese but they spoke too quickly for him to understand everything they said. From what he caught, they wanted him to follow them. They had cuffed his hands together and yanked hard on the chain connected.

"You don't have to pull so hard, I'm coming." His obvious annoyed tone just made them pull him along even more. They moved down the hallway quickly, speaking amongst themselves. Al overheard them mention 'the other Amestrian and a Dr. Bailey' more then once. It was clear that they didn't realize he was listening. They stopped outside one particular door and forced Alphonse in. The one guard that had the other end of the chain pulled down a hook from overhead. The handcuffs were attached and Al's arms were pulled above his head. As that guard stepped back, the other moved forward with a knife. "Hey, what are you gonna do?" Alphonse tried to pull his hands down in order to defend himself. Without saying anything else, the man grabbed his shirt and started cutting it off him. The other knelt down to pull his boxers off, leaving him naked. Al could feel his face becoming several shades of deep red. At least the room wasn't well lit, but it didn't keep him from feeling embarrassed. Once they had his clothing off, they turned a lever on the far wall. Hot water rained down, soaking into Al's skin and drenching his hair. The guards went to work scrubbing him clean. It was probably the worst experience he could recall lately.

The two men weren't patient from the beginning and their movement was rushed now. One of them moved upward to wash his hair and he honestly would preferred to remain dirty. Finally they rinsed him down and shut the water off. Al started to shiver once the source of warmth was gone. In a hurried effort, one of them left the room and returned with some clothes and a towel. Quickly they dried him off in a rough manner before unhooking his arms. Once they got him dressed again, the guards escorted him back to the cell. As the door closed, Al felt an odd feeling of relief just to be alone. He noticed that they left him handcuffed this time which was unsettling. It didn't feel as though he was there for too long before the door opened again and Ed was escorted back in, or rather dragged back in.

"Ed!" He looked pretty bad as he was placed down on the mattress. He was also handcuffed leaving Al to wonder what was coming next. Alphonse waited for the door to close again before he made his way over to his brother. "Are you okay?" Edward let out a cough as he tried to move closer to Al.

"I'm having a hard time moving. They gave me something." Al also noticed Edward's hair was damp and he smiled ironically to himself.

"So they cleaned you up too, huh?" Ed laughed lightly back at him.

"Yeah, I can think of other people I'd rather take a shower with."

"Brother, you shouldn't say perverted things like that." Ed started clenching his fist once he realized he was able to move a little better now.

"Aw, come on. You need a sense of humor in situations like this, right?" Al sighed heavily.

"Maybe you do but things are really starting to feel hopeless." Finally Edward was able to sit up against the wall, feeling some relief. It was quiet for a couple of seconds before Al glanced over at Ed. "So what did they do to you?" Knowing he really didn't want to relive what he'd just gone through, Ed looked around the room for something to change the subject.

"What's that light up there?" He pointed at the wall across from them. Al knew his older brother all too well and knew when not to push a topic. Looking in the same direction he noticed the same light.

"It's from outside I think."

"Really? Have you tried to get out that way?"

"There's not enough room between the bars." Despite Al's explanation though, Ed was coming up with a plan.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Would you stop moving!" Ed glanced down with an angry scowl on his face.

"I can't help it! You know you weigh a lot more now!"

"No, you just got weaker!"

"Come down here and see how weak I am, Brother. I can still beat you!" Ed was not going to get off his brother's shoulders to make a point, he was too busy trying to see outside. Tightening his grip on the bars, he tried to turn his head in order to get a better look. It just seemed to be another badly lit hallway though. "I can't keep this up!" Al's hands buckled under Edward's weight and before Ed could reply, he was now holding onto the wall for dear life.

"Push me back up or something!" He scrambled, trying to find something solid to place his feet on. Just as Al got back over to him, Ed let go and came crashing down, on top of Alphonse. "Well that was pointless," he let out a cough.

"Brother, get off!"

"It's your fault that I fell. You couldn't give me a better warning?" Ed got up but was not willing to concede his point just yet.

"My fault? You're metal foot was cutting into my palm. It's not like things are the way they were before, yah know." Edward sucked in a breath and released it slowly. There was no point getting into an argument and he certainly wasn't going to complain about how things had changed. Feeling worn out, he slipped back down against the wall, next to Al. As he placed his hand down, he felt a sharp rock hit his palm. Glancing down, he picked it up and got a better look at it. After staring at it for a long while, a slight grin spread across his face before he brought the sharp stone against the top of his automail. It made a high pitched sound as it scrapped across the metal, making a line in the steel. Alphonse covered his ears and made a face. "Brother, what are you doing?" Ed stopped, silencing the noise.

"I think I have another plan." Al let out a heavy sigh.

"I hope it's better then the last one."

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"So any idea where we should even start looking?" Heinkel whispered as the four of them wondered down the dark hallway. Mae was leading the way, trying to get a feel for their surroundings.

"It's hard to say, I can't see anything." She turned to the two Chimeras in hopes that they might be able to help take the lead. Darius put his hands up.

"Don't look at us, we can't see much either. It's not like there's a magical door that says 'kidnapped people here'."

"But there is a door down there." Heinkel pointed, getting everyone to look to the end of the hall. "Considering there really isn't anywhere else to go, we should try that first." Mae dropped her shoulders and started in that direction.

"This is the worst rescue ever," she muttered to herself. The only way they managed to get inside was thanks to the stranger from the alley. After trying to figure out how to get through the wall for over two hours, he was the one to finally suggest Mae try using her alkehestry. As soon as she started focusing on moving the wall, the center of it opened up. On the other side was a dark stairwell that led down below street level. The door was heavier then Mae expected and Darius grabbed the edge to yank it open. They were greeted with another hallway but at least this one was dimly lit. It seemed to be broader too, not nearly as stuffy and tight as the first one. The place was still grimy though and damp. It felt like a prison would. It didn't seem like anything good could happen here. It was the kind of place that made Mae's skin crawl. She hated the idea of Alphonse being forced to stay here. It was not the kind of place for him. Everything she'd seen so far made her want to seriously cause some damage to these people. And she knew things were probably going to get worse from here. They moved through the hallway and past a window into a large room. It looked like a medical lab although in comparison to the rest of this complex it didn't look like the kind of place they were helping anyone.

"Just make sure we don't get lost down here." Darius seemed a little nervous.

"I'm surprised you don't want to just leave," their tag along mentioned.

"You shut up, you don't know anything about these kind of places or what they do." Heinkel glared back at him still keeping his voice down. The hallway came to a fork and Mae paused trying to figure out which way they should go. The right side ended several feet down with another door while the left seemed to curve further into the underground building. There were voices coming closer on the other side of the door, making Mae's decision for her. The four of them rushed down the left side, making it around the corner before they were seen. They hurried for several yards before coming to another door. On the other side of this one was another staircase now leading up.

"Well that makes things confusing," Mae said under her breath. She started up the stairs taking them two at a time. At the top was a black curtain. Without another thought, she pushed it to one side and halted where she was, shock at where they ended up.

"What are you just standing there for?" Darius pushed past her and also stopped and practically covered his mouth. Heinkel also pushed past the curtain and glanced around.

"What did we walk into?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Are you seeing this?" Mae started to think that maybe she was hallucinating. The room they had stumbled into was dimly lit, other then a couple of spot lights over the tables that cluttered the room. There were people at each table and they all seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

"What are all these people here for?" Mae got a better look at those present and realized they were all very wealthy individuals. Moving cautiously to the nearest table, she politely spoke with an older woman. The lady seemed very impatient as she appeared to explain why they were all there. Mae seemed to thank her before heading back over to the two chimeras and the dark stranger.

"So what did she tell you," Darius was the first to ask.

"They're waiting for an auction to start. Something to do with immortality. It doesn't make any sense." Darius looked back at Heinkel.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with those two trouble makers."

"Well it's not really fair calling Al a trouble maker. It's not his fault who he's related to." The lights dimmed before the conversation went any further. The four of them remained against the rear wall, hoping no one really noticed them there. There was an announcer who came on over the loud speaker but no one knew where the owner of the voice was.

["Sorry for the wait ladies and gentlemen. We understand that you've been waiting for this for quite a while. The rumors are true, we do in fact have two items to bid on. It has been verified that they have Xerses bloodlines."] The final explanation seemed to make the people in the room excited. [The bidding will begin in about five minutes, so please be ready."] Mae let out a soft gasp and quickly covered her mouth.

"What'd they say," Heinkel inquired but she was too upset to say anything back. His answer came from behind, as their tag along spoke up.

"He announced that they have two items for people to bid on and these items have Xerses bloodlines."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" The stranger let out a sigh.

"I know it doesn't mean anything in your country but here people considered anyone from Xerses to be immortal. The race has been extinct for hundreds of years but when they existed, it was rumored that they held the secrets to immortality. That's where the philosopher stone came into play."

"Oh that damn thing, it's more trouble then it's worth. Someone should make that announcement." Heinkel rolled his eyes.

"It's not stones though that they're auctioning. It's your friends."

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"Stop pushing!" Edward's voice echoed off the close walls as Al and he were pushed down the hallway. Alphonse bumped into his back and Ed noticed his younger brother was shivering. This was the first time they had brought both of them out at once, and it was as though Al knew something bad was coming. And being handcuffed didn't make things any better. Despite Ed's request, the guards continued to force them close to the end of the hall before instructing them to turn to the left. There was a door and before either one of them knew about it, they were pushed through and into a dark room. There was a loud snap and a bright light came on. Ed tried to shield his eyes only to remember that he couldn't use his hands. Al didn't bother looking around knowing he wouldn't be able to see anything. Once Edward could make out some of his surroundings, he blinked several times in confusion. They were in some kind of glass box with a spot light above it. He heard startled gasps and whispers from all around but couldn't see past the light. And then came a muffled voice from somewhere outside the box.

["Now we realize that the eighteen year old is a little damaged and a bit mouthy but that shouldn't be a problem. Certainly not enough to deter you from bidding on him. While the younger one does know some alkehestry and seems more timid. I know those of you who have younger daughters might want to consider him. But then the older one is in his prime as well."]

"Alphonse do you know what they're saying?" Ed was looking around for a way out. He didn't like being caged like this and he certainly didn't like having an audience. Al didn't reply and he glanced back at him. "Al?" He paused when he noticed how Al pressed himself against the farthest corner.

"They're selling us? How can they do that? We're not even citizens." Edward heard a number called out behind him. It was the only thing he understood.

["We'll start the bidding for the older one at one hundred thousand!"]

"What? Hey I'm worth a whole lot more then that!" Ed started slamming his bound hands on the glass. The crowd around them started to laugh. "Oh that does it." Glancing around he noticed that the corners of the box were made of metal. "Bingo." He turned back to Alphonse. "Al, stay in the middle, okay."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Nope." Ed brought his foot down and Alkehestry lit up the box. The etchings on his automail lit up, causing the encasement to vibrate around them. The glass shattered sending the crowd ducking for cover. Ed and Al covered their heads as their cage broke around them. "Yeah, it still needs some work, but at least we're free."

"I can't believe you would try something like that when you don't know what you're doing."

"Well it got us out didn't it? So what do you care?" Al sighed heavily to himself knowing full well that they were not out of this yet.

"Alphonse!" He heard his name called out and immediately know who it was.

"Mae! Where are you?" Hurrying through the last of the crowd running out, she made it over and hugged Al around the waist and immediately burst into tears.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

"Aw Mae, I'm alright." Edward let out an exasperated sound.

"Is anyone glad to see that I'm okay too?" Without warning he was picked up from behind by a rather large individual and embraced in a bear hug. Darius picked him off the ground and pretended to cry as well.

"We're so happy you're okay. What would we've have done without our little trouble-proned shrimp?" Heinkel messed up his hair in agreeance with the other chimera.

"Our lives would have been so dull."

"Let go of me! I don't care about you two. Sheesh!"

"Well that's a nice way of telling us thanks for saving your tail," Darius let him down.

"You didn't save anyone, I'm the one that got us out." Just as the blond started to brag about his accomplishments, guards started to enter the room.

"Sure you don't want our help now," Heinkel inquired. "Or do you want us to get those cuffs off so you can fight?" He didn't bother waiting for the answer as he clawed through the restraints with little effort. Mae helped Al out of restrainst as well before two more guards appeared close by. They moved quickly to where the others stood. They were definitely outmatched and all the exits were blocked.

Author's notes-So the next chapter will most likely be the last one, but I would still love a review or two! XD


	20. Chapter 20

Author's notes-So this is the last chapter, its been a lot of fun to write and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Also by the way for those inquiring, the reason Ed can use Alkehestry is because it's not the same as Alchemy. At the end of Brotherhood they said he gave up his alchemy, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn alkehestry. And when they met Father for the first time their alchemy didn't work but alkehestry did. So that was the logic I was going with. Sorry if I made it confusing, that's also why he's such a clutz with it too.

**Chapter Twenty-**

The same voice that had recently been heard over the loudspeaker echoed off the walls, filling the silence with an unamused tone.

"Should have known you wouldn't cooperate." The man walked into the room, hands behind his back and a displeased look on his face. Ed narrowed his gaze when he realized it was the same guy they had been dealing with from the start. The man from Amestris.

"Well considering you're trying to sell us off, of course we're not going to cooperate with you."

"You just don't understand how important you. The two of you are the only link to the lost civilization of Xerses."

"We're not immortal though, and certainly not for anyone to make money off of." The older brother was obviously not going to go quietly as always. Especially when he had been set up like this for someone else's gain.

"It really doesn't matter what you have to say about any of this." The man gestured to his guards and they started to move in. Ed moved quickly, swinging his leg around and kicking the one directly behind him in the face. Alphonse ducked down, cupping his hands together.

"Ed!" Without having to say anything else, Edward turned and ran over, placing his foot in Al's hands. Alphonse hoisted him through the air and he landed hard on the two guards moving in on Mae. Despite how overpowered they were, they weren't about to go without a fight. Another guard went flying through the air as Darius started attacking anyone that came too close. Mae moved quickly, setting up her blades on the floor. The ground started glowing and suddenly shifted around them, knocking guards out left and right. One of the men managed to grab onto Al, yanking him up roughly. Letting out a gasp, he lifted his legs up before bringing them down fast, tossing the larger man overheard. Just as they were beginning to make some head way, more men entered the room, these ones were armed with swords.

"You see, there's no reason to fight. I have an army at my disposal. Besides, you're not helping anyone else out keeping immortality to yourself." Edward straightened some, still breathing hard and whipped the sweat out of his eyes.

"We're not immortal. I don't get why you think that but we're not."

"Well we didn't exactly have a lot of time with you but from the information we gathered from your brother, you both have very high immune factors in your blood which could ultimately cure several diseases in this country. Don't you think you're being selfish knowing that?"

"And you're not being selfish? Save the world or whatever you want to call it just so you can justify making a small profit from it. And you didn't ask us if we wanted to help anyone, you took us against our will. Somehow I seriously think you're motives aren't as pure as you claim them to be." Edward never did have a hard time expressing how he felt about these situations. Despite how heated he was becoming, the other man simply shook his head.

"As I said before, you're opinion is irrelevant in this situation. Even if you managed to get past my guards and get away from here, do you really think we'll leave you alone?"

"Then I guess we'd better make sure that you're not capable of following us," Darius threatened. Ed had forgotten how ruthless the two chimeras could be. Although he didn't see any solution to this problem, he didn't want anyone to get killed. Alphonse and he had been backed into a corner though. If they were able to excape what kind of life would they have? They would always be looking over their shoulder, wondering if this guy and his small army were closing in. Coming away from his thoughts, he realized that they might not even be able to get away as things were. By this point there had to be at least thirty men in the room against the six of them. There were just too many to fight off now.

"Well I think I've seen enough." It was the first time the stranger they'd picked up in the alley had said anything. He pulled his mask off and let out a sigh.

"L..Ling?" Ed was dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?" The emperor slouched at the blunt statement.

"Oh come on, can't I get a smallest amount of respect from you? I did come all this way to rescue you."

"But I thought you made it clear you weren't getting involved with this."

"Well I'm not suppose to actually." By this point Ed wanted to fall over, confused at what was going on. The other man from Amestris rubbed his chin also seeming confused with Ling's presence.

"So then why are you getting involved. I thought our agreement was clear." The statement practically caused Ed's blood to boil.

"You mean you did know about this? And you weren't going to do anything about it?" Mae let out a faint noise, trying not to get upset but her vision was already blurry with angry tears.

"I know it! You were okay with them taking Alphonse this whole time, weren't you?" She pointed an accusing finger at him. Al sighed heavily to himself.

"I'm sure it wasn't anything like that, you two," He mentioned but no one was listening tothe younger Elric. Ling placed his hands up defensively.

"Guys, I promise I had nothing against Al." The emperor glanced over at the other Amestrian in the room. "Mr. Cunningham over there threatened that if I did anything,that he would advise the leadership of Amestris to start a war with Xing." Ed arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So you believe anyone from our country that threatens war? He doesn't even have any power."

"Yes he does and do you really think that I would just believe anyone? He works for your current Furer and the last one. You would know something like that if you haven't retired." Ling made it a point to match Ed's annoyed tone.

"Oh now it's my fault?"

"Well you came all this way and look where it got you? You ended up getting caught too."

"Because you didn't offer any help, that's why!" Edward let out an exasperated breath. It seemed that they had reached whatever quiet understanding and there was no point speaking of the matter any more. The silence was then broken by the master mind of this entire mess as he cleared his throat.

"Even with the emperor's presence here, it doesn't change anything." Ling glared at the man before shouting out an order in his own language. Every guard turned away from the intruders and seemed to corner Cunningham.

"We'll see how much you like being locked up," Ling couldn't help but smirk to himself.

"You mean you could have done that at any point," Ed grumbled under his breath. He was starting to realize that this entire situation was making him feel worn out.

"If you want, I could just let him go and see how long it is before he's after you again." Alphonse decided he needed to intervene before Edward said something stupid back.

"That's okay, you can keep him for as long as you want."

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

"Yah know we should have figured that the guy in black had something to do with all this," Darius mused as they walked down the back alley.

"Well he knew quite a bit for someone who just happened to show up at the right moment," Heinkel commented as well. Ling glanced back at them, disapprovingly. "And why'd you wait so long to get involved anyway? If you knew what was going on back when Al got captured why not help Mae out."

"I already explained it, I was being blackmailed."

"And I still say that you should have called his bluff. You really think the leader of our country is dumb enough to wage war on another country for no reason," Ed brought up.

"Well your last leader liked war, so who was I to question it. Besides, you two can take care of yourselves right?" Ed laughed at the observation.

"If Al get's caught then there's not much hope for me." Edward glanced back at his younger brother to notice he seemed awfully quiet even with Mae by his side. "Al, you okay?" He brought his eyes up as though thinking about the question.

"I just want a hot bath and something to eat." Mae wrapped her arms around his and moved in closer to him.

"I'll make you whatever you want, Alphonse." Mae looked over at Ed.

"So are you gonna keep practicing Alkehestry, Edward?" He slumped his shoulders just thinking about it.

"I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I don't think I'm very good at it. I'll stick to being boring." He sighed in response realizing that since things were more normal now, he wanted to head back home. He hadn't seen Winry in several months and watching Al with Mae reminded him how much he missed her. If Mae and the others hadn't found them, he might have never seen her again. Then again there had been several moments recently that he thought he wasn't going to see Al again in a deep breath, he slowed his pace letting Al and Mae pass him. Al noticed and turned back.

"Brother, you coming?"

"Yeah." Without another thought about how his entire world was almost completely destroyed, he moved forward to catch up.

The End Author's notes-hope everyone liked it, I'd love some final reviews if anyone wants to take the time to write one. :) 


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